A New Twist
by The QAS
Summary: After a strange chat with a certain ghost, Nico goes to England hoping for someone to help them fight Kronos, but what he gets, is a whole lot more than he bargains for...
1. Chapter 1

"Can I have one too? Please! Please! Please!" a twelve-year-old Ginny Weasley asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "No, Ginny! Get your own!"

"But Mummy said that you had to share!"

"Just give her some, Ron," Hermione said. She had been hanging out with the two in Diagon Alley, and was smart enough to know not to cause any unnecessary trouble with Ginny.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Fine, here."

Ginny swallowed the Berttie Bott's Every Flavored Bean, she gagged. "Ugh! Gross! You did that on purpose!" she accused.

"Did what?"

"You gave me a vomit flavored one!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did NOT!"

"Did TOO!"

"I'm leaving," Hermione said, having had enough. These Weasley-quibbles never ended well.

The two didn't seem to notice. And if they did, they did not care. "Did NOT! How was I supossed to know what flavor it was?" Ron demanded angrily. His face was bright red now, matching his hair almost perfectly.

"The colour!" she hesitated, then added, "Duh!"

"Well, maybe YOU should've checked before you stuffed your face!" he retorted.

"Well, I'm-"

What happened next was the very last thing the two youngsters would have predicted. Suddenly, without explanation, a young boy, no older than twelve years of age, popped out of nowhere. "Oh, man, I forgot my suitcase!" he muttered.

Then, just as quickly as he came into view, the boy dissapeared.

He reappered, holding a bag.

The wizards just stood there. Dumb-struck.

The boy, looked a bit ill this time around. He seemed to be having trouble standing up properly. He staggered, and fell back.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"That was . . . odd."

"Yeah, I'm going to go see if he's okay."

"Who cares?"

"Ron, he's underage, and apperating!"

"Sweet! I have to know how he got away with that!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. Ron was so immature at times. They walked over to the boy. He had dark silky hair, and olive skin. He looked around eleven or twelve years old.

He blinked a couple of times and opened his eyes.

He scrambled back in alarm. "What in the name of Hades-" he saw them, "AHH!" he said.

"AHH!" said Ron.

"AHH!" said Ginny.

"AHH!" the three of them said together.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded.

"I'm Ginny," Ginny said, "are you alright?"

"That was bloody awesome!" Ron said, "how did you learn to apparate? You're underage! Wow, if I ever tried to do that, my mum would have the ministry on faster than I could say-"

"Apparating?" the boy asked, pulling out a canteen from his bag and taking a sip.

They didn't seem to hear him. "Are you SURE you're alright?" Ginny asked.

"Uh..." he waved his hand in front of their faces, "you did not see me apparate...I walked out of that shop, remember?"

"Um...no," Ron said. _What was trying to do?_

"You sure? Positive you don't feel...uh, confused? Or, like I didn't pop out of thin air?"

"Erm..yeah?"

"Darn it," he muttered. "Well..." he said, slowly getting up, "I gotta go...umm...bye." he tried to get up, but fell down again.

"You're not going anywhere for a while," Ginny said.

"Oh, for gods' sake, would you let me go?"

"But you're hurt!"

"I'm fine," the boy said, taking another sip, then something hit him. "Wait a minute, how is it normal to see people walking out of thin air?"

The Weasleys exchanged looks of bewilderment. "What do you mean? Don't you parents apparate?"

"Um...no...not exactly..."

"Oh, so you're a mugggle born?"

"Um...sure..." he didn't sound so sure. He was sweating now, as he took another sip of the canteen, he looked pained. "I think that's enough," he muttered.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"I've gotta go now," the boy said. He wearily stood up, slowly at first, then broke into a run.

"There you are!" Percy Weasley exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"We're sorry, _mum."_

Just come on, if you want to catch the train." Percy looked at his two siblings in disgust. If only they were as mature and clever as himself.

Ron rolled his eyes, but did not want to cause any trouble. "Sure, coming," he said. But Ginny, however, just stood there; she was staring in the direction the boy ran.

"Ginny, let's go!"

"What?" she seemed to have just woken up from a trance. "Oh, yeah, sure, coming!"

She looked back once more, then followed after her brothers, forgetting all about the strange boy.

* * *

**Like most of my stories, this takes place in an AU book #3 of Harry Potter.**

**In Percy Jackson, it's after BOL and before TLO, obviously an AU.**

**Review, I don't mind critism,**

**Just no flames please!**

**~The QAS**


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please except my offering," Nico said, as he tossed a golden Drachma into the water. Usually he wouldn't risk going into somebody's backyard and use their watering hose, but this was important.

The image blurred, he saw Mr. D playing cards with Chiron in Camp Half-Blood.

"Hey, Chiron!"

"What?" he looked around, surprised, and then he saw Nico. "Oh. Hello, Nico."

Mr. D rolled his eyes and sipped his diet coke.

That was the easy part. Now how to break the news . . . ? "Hey, um, Chiron? You'll never guess where I am."

"Where?"

"England," he smiled sheepishly, like a five-year-old who had just caught sneaking candy.

"Why are you in England?"

"Well...Bianca said there was something strange there and that I should check it out. Like something died, but didn't come down."

"Nico, as much as I respect Bianca, you can't just go wizzing around the planet going wherever you want."

"Yeah," Mr. D grunted, "we thought you were gone for good. I was about to throw a party. Shame. They always come back."

"I know, but when I shaddow traveled, I kinda found something..."

"Yes."

"Well, there were these people, a boy and a girl around their early teens, and they saw me through the mist and the weird part was...they didn't seem surprised. I mean, they did, but they didn't. And they call it something...what was it...um, apperating, I think."

Chiron looked confused. "Do you think they are half-bloods?" Nico continued.

"No, I think it would be very unlikely considering the gods haven't been in England for centries. But you should keep an eye on them until I send help."

Nico made a face. Not that he wanted to be rude, but it was part of his independent nature to be alone. Chiron knew that. What did he think he was? A baby? It wasn't fair! And he did not hide how he felt for one second. "But don't want HELP," he protested indignantly. "I want to do this on my own, it's MY mission, I-"

"Hey, what are you doing with my hose, you theif?" some man ran up to him.

"Gotta go," Nico said, dropping the hose. And he ran for it.

* * *

**So what do you think? I know it's kinda short and I didn't update for a while, sorry.**

**I'll try to make the next one longer. In the meantime, review!**

**Just no flames please!**

**~The QAS out**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hermione, I still don't get why you're studying if we haven't even gotten to school yet," Harry said, watching in amazement as his friend continued to take notes with her quill.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry was a great guy, but when it came to important things like studying, her friends never really understood her. "You can never be too prepared," she told him.

Ron was squirming uncomfortably in his seat. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. He felt as if they weren't alone, almost as if somebody was spying on them. But why would they? Still he couldn't manage to shake the horrible feeling off.

"You alright there, mate?" asked Harry.

Ron nodded. "Fine," he lied, turning back to glance out the window before Harry could figure out he wasn't being truthful. It seemed stupid, but the feeling was still creeping up on him, waiting to attack. Someone. Somewhere. Was spying on them.

* * *

And he was right, Nico Di Angelo pressed his ear against the side of his compartment. So far he had figured out that this train was leading to a boarding school of some sort, but that was basically it. He didn't think anything sounded all that suspicious to him. Still, he prayed no one would find him.

"What'cha doing?" a voice asked.

Nico jumped. He covered his mouth to stop himself from screaming. But, fortunately, he recognized the person, or rather, people. Nico saw Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth Chase looking at him curiously. He groaned in annoyance. "What are _you_ guys doing here?" he demanded.

Percy smirked. "Well, Chiron didn't want you wandering around a continent all alone, so he told us to go with you. Grover sniffed you out!"

Nico scowled. "I don't need your help. I am perfectly capable of doing this alone."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Look, Nico, we're your friends. We just want to help."

"Well, you can start by being quiet!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.**

**I apologize for the short chapter.**

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Within one hour of the ride, all of them were fast asleep.

Nico woke up with a start when the train stopped. He sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He blinked. Where was he? "What? Wh-where-" then he remembered.

Thought it was rather tempting to leave the others behind, Nico woke his friends up.

"Food?" was the first thing Grover said.

Nico rolled his eyes. "C'mon guys we're here - - wherever _here_ is."

"How do we get off without them seeing us?" Percy wondered.

"I'm okay," Annabeth said, putting on her invisible-turning Yankees cap with a smug smile on her face.

"No fair!" complained Percy.

* * *

They exited the train in a large group of children, all of whom were wearing odd cape-like things. The half-bloods tried their best to fit in with them and not look confused.

Grover, Nico, Percy and Annabeth held their breaths at the view. It was absolutely magnificent. A large purple castle loomed over them. It appeared to be almost glowing in the darkness.

"Wow," they all said at the same time.

Percy looked at his friends. They looked at him expectantly. He couldn't help but feel like a teacher whenever he gave them instructions. "Now, remember, we have to stick together at all times. Right?"

"Right," said Grover.

"Right," said Nico.

...

...

?

"Right, Annabeth?" said Percy.

No answer.

_Where was Annabeth?_

The kids looked everywhere, though it's almost impossible to find someone who's invisable.

While looking for her, the trio accidently bumped into a woman (thank the gods Grover had worn pants and fake sneakers.) The woman looking very stern with her gray hair tied back in a bun. She was wearing a weird-looking pointed hat and a long green dress.

"Sorry," Nico muttered.

"Where are your robes?" the woman demanded. She spoke with a strong Scottish accent.

"Um..." Percy looked at the others, not knowing what to do, seeing that they looking just as confused as he was. Even Nico was at a loss for words. He was just going to have to wing it. "We...we don't have them, ma'am."

She looked surprised. "You don't?"

"N-no," Grover whimpered.

She looked at them suspiciously for a moment. Percy, Grover, and Nicos' hearts stopped. "I don't recognize you children, what are your names?"

"Uh..." Percy said, trying to think of something as fast as possible. "P-Peter...Johnson."

Grover and Nico sniggered.

She turned to them. "And you?"

Percy was worried that Grover might faint. "I'm...um...I'm I'm...Bob," Grover said.

"Bob?" mouthed Nico.

"Bob...err...Bob..."

"Stone?" suggested Nico.

"Yes! Bob Stone."

"And my name is...Rick," Nico said, thinking of the first random name that popped into his mind. "Rick Riordan."

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**Ooh, what will happen next? Only I know! **

**Find out when I return from the trip! **

**In the meantime...REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Who missed me? Feel free to clap. ((no one claps)) Nothing? ((sobs)) Nobody likes me! WAAAAAAHH!**

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Meanwhile...

Annabeth was pushed aside from her friends as a crowd of childrens stampeded out of the train.

She was then knocked over. By the time she was able to stand up there was no sign of Nico, Grover, or Percy.

"Wonderful," she muttered, "Who doesn't want to be lost in a distant country with a bunch of weirdos!"

There was no way of going back. The only way they made it there in the first place was because they rode Mrs. O'Leary who shadow-traveled there. But then she went back, and there were no hoses or anything to spray with in sight.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice. Annabeth turned around to see a girl with carrying books and brown hair so frizzy, it made hers actually look _neat_.

_How can she see me? _was Annabeth's first thought, then she remembered her cap had been knocked off and was now in her hand. She really didn't know what to say to this girl. _Okay, think,_ she told herself, Nico said the mist didn't work on them, so there was no use trying. But what should she say?

"Umm...yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. I don't think I've ever seen you here before, but you seem too old for a first-year. Are you a transfer student? If so, where from? How old are you?What's your name? Mine's Hermione Granger," she said this all extremely fast.

Annabeth knew that name, "Hermione". She was the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. The name was like a female version of Hermes. She wondered if the god of messengers would be offended. If only the girl knew that the "myths" behind her name, were no myths at all.

"Hermione," she said, "that's a cool name. It's Greek, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I read about her when we studied Greek Mythology in my old muggle school. My parents are big mythology fans."

"Muggle?" as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she had asked the wrong question.

Hermione stared at her. "Honnestly, I've heard a lot of stupid questions, but that's just-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive, but I would assume you already knew by now. Are you joking?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, good. Well, we better go, I don't want to be late before the year even starts!"

Annabeth laughed, even though she had no idea what she was talking about.

"Why aren't you in your robes?" Hermione asked.

"What?"

"Your school robes," she said this as if she were explaining that one plus one was two, "why aren't you in them? You could get in trouble you know. Hogwarts: A History says that all students must wear there robes during school hours."

"You like to read don't you?" Annabeth said, trying to change the subject.

Hermione smiled. "Do I ever! I read everything! This school has a great library, I go there all the time. I'm sure you'll love it...um...what was your name again?"

"Annabeth," she said, there was no point in hiding her name from this girl.

"Oh, okay, well, Annabeth, what's your favorite book?"

"I'm Dyslexic." she explained.

Hermione's face turned white in horror, as if she had never heard something so terrible in her life. "Well," she said, trying to hide her disapointment, "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. I'm very sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"I couldn't go a day without reading! It's my life! It's really a pity you're missing out."

"Gee, don't I feel cared for!" she said sarcastically.

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**Poor Hermione, she finally thought someone understood her. **

**Also, I'm debating whether Rachel should make an appearance in this story, let me know in your reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**xXxShinikazexXx: Hmm...I forgot about that! I guess that demigods aren't exactly muggles...we'll stick with that till I come up will something better! **

**Now here's the next chapter! ;D**

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The woman nodded at the boys, unconvinced. "Okay, now will you tell me your real names?"

Grover looked at his friends, nervously. "We're screwed," he said.

* * *

"So," Annabeth said, "This is some sort of magic school?"

"Honnestly, you just figured it out? Where are you from, anyway? Your voice sounds a bit odd-no offense."

"None taken, to me you sound weird. I'm from America."

"Really, all the way from there? I've never heard of a Hogwarts transfer student from America! So how old are you?"

"I just turned fifteen."

"Oh, I'm only thirteen, but I'll be fourteen soon," Hermione said.

"Really? How soon?"

"Ten months," Hermione mumbled. "Well, we better get to the castle, come on!" she said eager to change the subject.

They passed a woman with a pointed hat and green dress.

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said politely.

"Good evening Ms. Granger. It seems a bit late to be out."

Hermione hung her head low in shame. "I'm sorry, Professor. I was just helping out our new transfer student."

McGongall raised an eyebrow. "Transfer student?"

"Yes, Annabeth. She's from The States. She's a transfer student, right?"

Something did not make sense. Was it just a coincidence that four strange children appeared at the castle (one of which whom smelled strongly like a goat)? "Well I was not aware that we were having any transfer students this year. Where is she?"

"What do you mean? She's right-" Hermione looked next to her, Annabeth was gone! "She was right here a minute ago, I swear!" How could this be? One minute she was standing right next to her, the next, POOF, she was gone. Unless she had Harry's cloak, the idea by itself seemed absolutely preposterous! So where was Annabeth?


	7. Chapter 7

**A relative of mine just got married. So I've been a bit busy and couldn't update.**

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"Psst, Perc-I mean Peter, what are we going to do?" Grover whispered.

"I can hear you whispering!" the man said. The weird lady had forced them into a room where they would wait for her to come back and "deal with things". Percy didn't like the sound of that. A man with greasy hair and creepy voice was sent to watch them.

"Now what?" Nico mouthed.

Percy had an idea. A really dumb one, but it just might work- -okay, he didn't really think it would work, but it was worth a shot.

"Um..excuse me, Mr. uh... Mr. whatever," he said.

"What?" he replied coldly. Percy hated his voice. It was barely a whisper, yet there was something about it you just couldn't miss. Spooky.

Grover whimpered like a puppy with a sore paw.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Percy told the man.

"Too bad, hold it."

"But I-"

"No."

Percy sat back down, feeling extremely stupid.

"'I have to go to the bathroom'. Really? That was the best you could do?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rick. Since **you're** such a genius,** you** tell us what to do!"

"That's not what I mea-"

The woman came back in.

"Thank you, Severus, I shall take it from here."

The man mumbled something (that sounded a lot like the word "muggles",) and left, closing the stone door behind him.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Annabeth?"

"What the-ahh! Wait a minute, _Tyson_?"

"Yes."

"WOOF!"

"Mrs. O'Leary?"

The hellhound gave her a big slobbery kiss.

"What are you doing here?"

"Chiron told me to find you. So I rode Doggie here. Now, I have found Annabeth!" he said proudly.

"Great!" she said sarcastically. "You win a gold star!"

Tyson looked confused. "Where?"

"Never mind."

"Where are the others?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Oh. Annabeth?"

"What?"

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure."

Just then, a boy, wearing the same strange clothes Hermione had worn, walked down the hall and screamed.


	8. Chapter 8

"Now," the lady said calmly, "you will answer our questions-and truthfully."

"...And if we don't...?..." Nico inplied.

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Let's just say...we have ways of finding out."

Grover whimpered, Percy nodded frantically, and Nico gulped. None of them liked the sound of that.

Percy turned to Grover. "Monster?" he mouthed.

Grover sniffed, and shook his head slightly.

Still, even if they weren't monsters, he didn't want to stay any longer.

Where was Annabeth when you needed her?"

* * *

"Shh!" Annabeth ordered the boy.

He just stood there, petrified.

When he could talk again the boy said something really intelligent like: "Wha-huh...how-who-WHAT!" then his eyes rolled into his head, and he fainted.

Annabeth looked up at Tyson. "Where's Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Doggie is over there, taking a nap," he informed her.

Sure enough, the hellhound was sound asleep, snoring like a tractor, lying on her side. Shaddow traveling must have taken a lot out of her. But Annabeth didn't have time for that! She needed to find the others!

"Mrs. O'Leary, get up!"

She opened one droopy, blood-shot, eye and yawned a doggie yawn.

"I don't care if you're tired! Get up, now! We need to find Percy, Grover, and Nico!"

Mrs. O'Leary' ears perked up at the sound of "Nico and Percy".

"Okay, Tyson. Give me a boost."

One the two of them got onto the Hellhound's back, they were off, leaving the out-cold boy behind.

"Hey, Perry?"

"Peter," Percy coughed.

"Right, Peter. Do you have any snacks? I'm starving."

"Umm...let me see..." Percy serched him jacket pockets. "I'd have more if a certain Bob didn't get hungry and eat some snacks when I fell asleep on the way!"

The two looked at Grover.

"Hey!" he protested. "it was a long boat ride! I told you we should've taken a plane!"

"You know we can't do that, because a certain very powerful someone would blast me out of the sky."

"Besides," Grover added, ignoring Percy's comment. "Water make me nervous. I eat when I'm nervous."

"Including the wrappers!"

"Guys!" Nico said..."exna on the alfbloodha. Someone," he jerked his head at McGonagall, "illwa earha!"

"Huh?" Percy said.

"What?" Grover.

"NEVER MIND!"

"Anyway, all I have is this pack of blue Mike and Ikes."

"I'll have 'em. I didn't know they make them in blue."

"They do, it's a new flavor."

"Oh cool."

McGonagall glared at them.

"...Oh, sorry." Percy said, handing her the box. "You want some?"

**Yay! I finally updated! **

**I've had a busy week! School ends Friday and my teachers are giving me as much homework and test as they can! **

**Anyway, review! **

**P.S. The "boy" was Neville.**


	9. Chapter 9

Apparently McGonagall did not want any Mike and Ikes (**an:/I love Mike and Ikes-I'm hungry for some right now... o.0-I know that was random**) she used an accio spell to summon them into her hand and then made them dissapear.

"Not cool!" Percy shouted. "That was my last box!"

McGonagall glared at him. It was so penetrating, that if Grover hadn't said so, Percy would've been positive she was a monster.

Percy instantly fell silent.

"Are you sure that you can't shaddow travel?" Grover whispered to Nico nervously. He wanted to get out of here now.

"Positive. I've tried a million times- -I'm just too tired."

"Now, if there will be no futher interruptions...where are you from?"

"Long Island," Grover said, then quickly covering his mouth. "Oops."

"Yeah, 'oops'!"

"She scares me!" he protested.

"Look, lady," Nico said, "We didn't mean to walk onto your property or anything. It was an honest mistake. So if you'll just let us go..." he headed for the door.

"Not so fast, Mr. Riordan."

He stopped in he middle of a step.

"You know," Percy piped in, "I'm pretty sure it's not leagal to keep children as prisoners. Our parents will be looking for us..." he nudged Nico.

"Right! They may even get the police..."

"You can say what you want, but you're not getting out of here until we sort things out. Now, how exactly did you get inside?"

Percy sighed. This was pointless, they weren't monsters and there was no more holding back. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath, "if you really want to know...we'll tell you. But you'll never believe us..."

For the first time a small smile appeared on McGonagall's face. "Try me."

"Okay, the truth is-" Percy was interrupted by the stone wall exploding, and on the other side, was none other than Mrs. O'Leary, with Annabeth and Tyson on her back.

"So?" Annabeth said, getting off the dog, "what did I miss?"

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**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate them. **

**Speaking of which...REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I apologize for all my chapters being really short. But if I do I can update faster.**

**

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**

McGonagall stood in the corner. Frozen with fear. Eventually, she came to her senses and lifted her wand.

Unfortunetly, when Mrs. O'Leary saw a stick, she had different plans.

Forgetting her drowsynes, she went for the wand. "WRUFF! WRUFF!"

Before poor Professor McGonagall could realize what was going on, her wand was snatched out of her hand.

It was too small for Mrs. O'Leary to chew, so she accidently swallowed it.

"Umm...who's the..." Annabeth's voice trailed off when she realized it was the same woman Hermione and her had seen earlier. Of course, she hadn't gotten a good look at her, but she was positive this was the same woman.

"...Hi..." she said a bit awkwardly. "...I'm Annabeth..."

"I don't know who or what you are," McGonagall said, "but you better get out of this castle right away!"

"Fair enough," Percy said, heading back.

"No!" Nico said.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"There's something here, I can sense it. This must be what Bianca was talking about!"

"Umm...you'll have to excuse our friend, here," Anabeth said, "he's a little strange..."

Tyson looked around from one person to another, trying to figure out what was going on.

Grover was hyperventilating in the corner.

Mrs. O'Leary sniffed around, trying to find another stick.

There was a knock at the door.

Hermione walked in. "Hello, Professor. Sorry to interrupt. But I've just been informed tha-" she looked up and saw them. "Uh..."

"Hey, Hermione," I said.

The others stared at me.

Her eyes widened. "Annabeth?" then they turned to Mrs. O'Leary.

"Umm...i-is that..."

"She's tame. I promise."

"Professor McGonagall, what-"

"Get the headmaster right away Ms. Granger! NOW!"

Hermione seemed startled, as if she'd never been yelled at by a teacher before. But she nodded and left.

"Wait a minute! Headmaster? This is a school?"

"Duh!" I said.

"Ooookaay then. That explains much."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione Granger rushed up the steps to Dumbledore's office four at a time. "Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!" she burst through the door.

Normally, if Dumbledore saw Hermione burst through a teacher's door, he would be imedeatly conserned, because Hermione would only do that in an emergency. But at the moment he was in the middle of doing something very important.

"One second, Ms. Granger. I am watching a humorus video on YouTube."

"Yes, but McGonaga-hang on, I thought muggle technology doesn't work in Hogwarts."

"It doesn't."

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**Well? What did you think? REVIEW! **

**By the way, I'd just like to note, that I have just beaten my record for the most reviews for a single story! 45 reviews! YAY! **


	11. Chapter 11

"So..."

It was about twenty minutes or so later. All of them were seated in Dumbledore's office (with an expection of Mrs. O'Leary, who got couldn't fit, so she just stuck her head in the doorway.)

Percy, Nico, and Annabeth were talking to Dumbledore; Grover seemed to be having an intense conversation with Fawkes the Pheonix; while Tyson explored the office, fasinated by everything, constantly trying to touch things-and McGonagall repeatedly scolded him for.

"So..." Nico said, "what are you exactly?"

"We are wizards," Dumbledore told him.

Hermione's jaw dropped open. "You just told them? Just like that?"

"You mean kind of like how you did to me?" Annabeth asked.

Hermione's face went red. "That...that was different. I didn't know."

"Wizards?" Nico nodded, like this was perfectly normal. "That explains so much."

"Young man," Dumbledore said, looking at the boy with curiousity, "where are you from?"

Nico looked troubled. "I...I don't really know. It's fuzzy."

"What do you mean?"

Nico looked at the floor. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's okay."

"So, since you were honest with us, I guess we should be honest with you," he sighed. "We're half-bloods."

Hermione looked at him. "Oh." she said as if it was completely normal.

"What do mean 'oh'?"

"Well, we have lots of half-bloods at this school."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"But you do know what a half-blood is, right?"

"Of course!"

"One parent is mortal, and the other..."

"God," Nico said.

And at the same time Hermione said. "Wizard."

The two looked at each other oddly. "What?" they said in chorus. Then. "Huh?"

"What do you mean a parent is half god?" Hermione demanded.

"You know, like the Greek gods."

"_What_?" Hermione laughed. "Are you telling me that your father is Posiden?"

Nico smiled. "Close," he said, "his father is Posiden," he pointed at Percy, "my father is **Hades**."

Hermione made a disgusted face. "_Lord of the dead_?"

Nico clentched his hands into fists, and reached into his jacket pocket for his sword. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Hermione, I do believe that if they came here to harm us they would've already done so," Dumbledore said.

Hermione looked annoyed, but obeyed.

Nico looked at Dumbledore. As if he had the nerve to question the son of Hades! But Percy's look told him to listen, so he did.

Hermione turned to Annabeth. "Who's **your** father?"

She smirked. "Frederick Chase."

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**Review! Review! REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**owlgirl16: I'm sorry you feel that way. My attention span is very short and I tend to make short chapters. Also it's harder for me because I'm younger than most fanfiction writers (I only just finished the sixth grade, so I'm twelve.) In chapter one it says what year it is in-between BOTL and TLO for Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter is in their third year, both are AUs, obviously. Don't worry, the year will start soon. I tried to make this one longer, enjoy! **

**likeitmatterstome: Yes, Hermione will like the fact that Annabeth's mother is Athena.-But they can't be true friends because she can't read. Hermione doesn't MEAN to be that shallow and she tries not to be, but she can't help it- 'cause...well...she's Hermione. And Hermione loves to read-but it will bring them closer, you are right. **

**anonymous; Lovinging-er; the hunter; Mourningstar13; eternal fire123; and citgirl: Thanx, I'm glad you guys/girls like it. **

**Okie dokie-now the story really starts YAY! **

**Read and review! ;)**

**

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**

Hermione looked at Annabeth oddly. "...So you're not one of those 'half-bloods'?"

"No, I am."

"But I thought..."

"My _mother_ is Athena."

"Oh.-Wait, isn't she the goddess of like wisdom?"

"-And war strategy-yes."

"Then how come you can't read?" Hermione regretted the words as soon as they slipped out of her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"You're lucky you said that to me and not to a kid of Ares," Annabeth remarked coldly.

There was an awkward silence in the room-except for Mrs. O'Leary's (very **loud**) panting.

"...Umm..." Nico said, "can we get back to my point?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said.

"Okay, so the other day I was talking to Bianca."

"Who?"

"Oh, my sister. She said that there was a number of beings that were like dead...but didn't fully die...like ghosts?-I mean, I've seen ghosts, just only in the underworld."

Percy noticed how Nico specifically did not mention that Bianca was dead. He must still be upset about it.

"Ghost?" Dumbledore's eye seemed to twinkle. Well why don't you tell me?" he clapped his hands and dozens of partically trasparent bodies dressed from all different periods of time flew threw the walls.

"Ah!" Tyson hid behind the arm chair.

Mrs. O'Leary barked happily, which seemed to startle them.

"Merlin's beard! It's one of those blasted hellhounds!" one of them said, turning to Dumbledore. "How did it escape?"

"You've seen them before, Sir Nickolous?" Hermione demanded.

"Well sure," Nico said, "everything that dies goes down to the underworld-there are hellhounds there a lot. Especially Cerberus."

The ghost shuddered at the name. "Don't mention that-that-thing."

"You don't like him?" Nico teased.

"The vicious, savage beast!"

"Who, not my widdle Cerberus?" Nico joked, in a baby voice.

"Stop that! How could you speak it's name?"

"He's not that bad."

"NOT THAT BAD!" The ghost cried, "do you have any idea who you're talking about?"

"Well, did you through him a ball?" Annabeth asked.

"No."

"There you go."

* * *

"So...well I guess they can't help us all that much, then," Nico said to Dumbledore. It was later, Dumbledore had agreed to allow them to stay at the castle at least until things were sorted out. Percy had sent an Iris message to Chiron, letting him know they were fine. They a guest room, and Mrs. O'Leary got to sleep out on the grounds. They'd all gone to sleep, except for Nico. He was still disgussing the situation with Dumbledore.

"Help you with what?"

"You see, we're kind of in the middle of a war with Kronos-"

"The Titan?"

"Yeah, him. Well, he's trying to crush Olympus and then take over the world-or something like that. I gave Percy an idea, though he probably won't follow it..."

"Can't you ask your father for help?"

Nico laughed. "Who? MY dad? Yeah, um, you realize you're talking about the lord of the dead. I've tried, many times. Trust me, he hates Olympus, and is in no mood to help them out."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps there's something we can do to help."

"I though you said the ghost couldn't help us."

"They can't. But maybe the living can give you a hand."

"Are you saying...?"

"Yes. Mr. Di Angelo, it is time for wizards and half-bloods to join together and take down Kronos. Now, if I were you, I'd get some sleep."

Nico nodded and hurried off to bed. He couldn't wait to tell the others the good news tomarrow!

But before he went to sleep, Nico dug through his backpack, and at the very bottom, found some Laffy Taffys.

With the sweet candy in his mouth, and in a real bed for the first time in nights, Nico felt like everything was going to be okay. It would all just be down hill from now on. The wizards could do anything.

Little did he know, his troubles were just getting started...

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**Review peoples! And you get blue Mike and Ikes! (and seriously, there is such thing!)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm in a very good mood! My Wii broke like 6 months ago, and now, it's finally fixed! YAY! So between breaks, I'm writing this story. I hope I'll be able to update almost every day now because it's summer break! Awesome! **

**Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (just don't be mean)**

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Breakfast the next morning was extremely awkward for the young half-bloods (**Grover: Ahem!; Me: Sorry, and _satyrs._**) When Dumbledore explained to all the wizards who they were, at first, none of them seemed to believe him (unsurprisingly.) The age range of the children didn't seem too different from Camp Half-Blood. The youngest were about ten or eleven, and the oldest looked around seventeen or so. But it wasn't the people that bothered them so much, it was the food. For breakfast there was pudding, tea, with cookies of some sort, eggs, toast, some jelly-like thing to spread on the toast, saussages, bacon, and a drink that Percy thought was orange juice-but tasted more like pumpkin.

"No cereal, no pancakes, no soda, nothing is even blue!" Percy muttered. He was freaking out.

Nico was by far the most disgusted. This food was so healthy! It was TOO healthy!

Grover scowled at the sassage and bacon, muttering things under his breath.

Nico tried the cookies, and spit it out right away.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"Do these people even own sugar?" he demanded, throughing it on the floor stomping to the ground. "Where's a McDonald's when you need one?"

During breakfast, a bunch of the younger kids crowded around them, pushed and shoving. One boy had a camera and took a picture every chance he got of them.

* * *

Ron looked at Harry. "See," he said, pointing to Nico, "that's the one I told you about!"

"I don't like the look of him," said Hermione. "He's so pale, like he never gets any sunlight, he has a pet hellhound, and he's...well...his father is Hades for crying out loud! what's Dumbledore** thinking** trusting him!"

"Hermione, if you haven't noticed, he's like eleven."

"Well, what did he seem like when you met him, Ron?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know," he answered, between mouthfuls of poridge, "alright, I guess. We were only with him for a few minutes. He looked really tired, I know that for sure."

"He didn't seem all that bad, startled, yes, but he was fine," Ginny piped in.

"Were we talking to you?" Ron said to his sister, rudely.

"Hey! I was there also! I should get a say!" She batted her adorable twelve-year-old eyes at Harry. "Right, Harry?"

"She's got a point there," said Harry, "go on, Ginny. Tell us what you think."

"Thanks, well we had though he apperated-"

"Why are we fight over this?" Ron demanded, "the bloody kid's right there, why don't we ask him?"

"Ron, I don't think that's how it works-" Hermione started. But he was already asking him.

Ron walked over to Nico. "Uh..."

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering, the other day when you appeared out of thin air on a muggle street, what were doing?"

"Oh," Nico said, "it's called shadow-traveling. I can do it because I'm a son of lord Hades. It's when you sort of melt into the shadows of one place, and appear in another. I'm not exactly sure how it works."

"But why did you pass out then?"

"Shadow-traveling is really tiring, once I fell asleep doing it, woke up in China a week later."

"Wow. So you weren't apperating?"

"Nope."

"Oh, okay."

"Sure."

Ron went back to the table. "Apparently he wasn't apperating. He was doing something called 'shadow-traveling'."

"Ron, it's not very polite to walk up to a person and ask him questions like that."

"Hey, who ever said I was polite?"


	14. Chapter 14

**owlgirl16: Thanx again for the review. You do bring up a good point. I think that it was not so much that the food at Camp Half-Blood wasn't healthy, but more of what Nico was used to eating. Nico doesn't really have an exact home, he just hangs out, goes where he pleases. And most likely, he probably ate something quick and cheap most of the time, like candy bars or fast food, like McDonald's.**

**Vaneskera: Thanx, I wrote most of my chapters in my school notebooks when my teachers weren't looking, and now that it's summer I'm not limited so my chapters are longer and I can update more often. **

**BeatlesNPercyJackson: Thanks-though I don't think I'll put a Beatles's song in. (But keep your eyes out, I just might put it in the background in a scene.)-Oh, and "interesting" has one R-but I make mistakes with that word all the time :P **

**Lovinging-er; ANicoandDanFan39; likeitmatterstome; and pixiestixz: Thanx, I'm glad you like it! :) **

**Remember, every review means a lot!**

**

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"Mom, I-"

"Oh. Hello, Rachel," Mrs. Dare said, "girls, this is my daughter, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

Immediately, all her friends began fussing over her.

"Hello, Ms. Dare," one said, "my name is Annie Sampson, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Rachel forced a smile. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Sampson."

Annie put her hand over her heart. She turned around to the others. "Oh, isn't she just precious?"

Rachel nodded politely. She hated her father's stupid dinner parties. A bunch of complete strangers would go ga-ga over her (even though she was almost fifteen.) Plus, she was forced to wear some ugly dress that she couldn't move in.

"Mother, may I please be excused?"

"Yes, Dear. You may, but come back quickly."

Rachel Dare limped away from the crowd, into the hallway. She couldn't stand these high-heels anymore!

She took them off and rubbed her blisters, she was just about to get something to put on them, when she had a strange random feeling. Like she needed to be in England.

It wasn't unusual for her to have strange thoughts or urges, but this was just ridiculous!

Trying hard to ignore it, Rachel looked through the med's cabinet.

But it still nagged her. A thought too strong to resist.

"Oh, alright. You win," she sighed, and got the phone.

"Hello? Mayer? Can I use the private jet, please? Where? England? Yes, I'm sure. Okay, thank you. You have good day, too, Sir. Alright, good bye."

Her parent wouldn't notice if she was gone, or care for that matter. She'd come up with some excuse when she got back.

_This is really weird, even for _me, she thought to herself, as she waited for the jet to meet her.

* * *

The half-bloods were having a disgussion with the wizards about how they were going to help them. Unfortunetly, many of the members were distracted. Nico kept muttering to himself about how an army was so much more useful when they were dead, and actually_ listened_ to you. Mrs. O'Leary seemed to be fasinated by the Griffindor table, and decided it would make a lovely chew toy. Unfortunetly, once a hellhound get a hold of something they want, those with the slightest amount of sanity in them would let them be. Grover and Annabeth (because the symbol of Athena is the owl) were having a fight with a number of the staff members about how owl messages were cruel and abbusive. And Tyson was trying to put together a robbot.

So Percy went up to the headmaster's office to discuss matters in privacy.

Fourty minutes later, he came down. He found his friends outside on the school grounds. Things seemed to have calmed down a bit. Annabeth was teaching acient Greek to Hermione. Nico was playing go-fish, with a bunch of his skeleton and zombie buddies he cojured up. Tyson was playing fetch with some of Hagrid's "pets". And Grover was "cleaning up" all the litter on the grounds-or eating them.

"Is this a seven?" a zombie asked Nico.

"How, would I know? I'm DYSLEXIC!-Oh, hey, Percy."

"Percy? YAY!" Tyson, dropped the monster he was giving a piggy-back to, and ran to his brother, giving him a big bear hug. "I missed you!"

"I've been gone less than hour."

"So?" Annabeth said, "what did they say?"

"Nothing, we started out talking about how we've been fighting so far-and then, the McGonagall lady came in, fighting with some dude who had greacy hair. So Dumbledore told me he'd settle the crisis, and meet me in a couple minutes, and that I should wait there."

"...And...?..."

"Well, I waited in the hallway outside. And then this other guy with this weird cat came in and started yelling at me, and then I came down here. The end."

Tyson clapped.

"Well,"Annabeth threw up her hands in the air. This is stupid and a waste of time! I say if they aren't going to take us seriously, we pack up and leave!"

"No!" said a voice, that made all of them turn around. At first no one recodnized her in a dress. A girl with red/brown hair and huge green eyes, was standing right there.

Rachel smiled. "Hey, Percy. Long time, no see."

* * *

**Oooooh! A cliff hanger! Dun. Dun. DUUUU-UU-UUUUU-UUNNNN-NNN! **

**What will happen next? How did Rachel sneek past the magic border? Why is she there? And WHAT does Prefessor McGonagall have against Mike and Ikes? Only I know! Stay tune, for the next chapter of A New Twist! **

**Review and I'll update quicker. **

**Now I have to get to bed before my dad finds out and grounds me.**


	15. Chapter 15

It took Percy about thrity seconds to come to his scenes. "Rachel?"

"No!" she said sarcastically, "I'm Joe shmo from Idaho. Yes, I'm Rachel!"

"Let me guess," Hermione said, "another half-blood?"

"Nope. Just a regular old mortal."

"What? She's a muggle? No! No, that's impossible! Hogwarts A History clearly states that muggles cannot go through the castle. The spell is too strong for them."

"Oh, so that's why the piolet said there was nothing there when I told him to drop me off," Rachel said.

"But-it's not possible!" Hermione was freaking out. "The book says tha-"

"Hermione, books also say the wizards aren't real," Annsbeth pointed out.

"Wait, wizards?" Rachel said, raising an eyebrow, "any other secrets I should know about, Percy, huh? Zombies, aliens,-"

"Trust me, Rachel," Percy said, "we didn't know till yesterday."

"Oh, well then let me change..."

"What do you mean?"

To their horror, Rachel began to take off her dress in front of them! But underneath, she was wearing a T-shirt (that appeared to be hand tie-dyed,) jeans, rolled up to her knees so that no one would see it, a from her back pocket, she pulled out a Mets baseball cap, and two rubber bands that she used to put her hair in two uneven pigtails.

"So," she said when done, "what do ya' think?"

"Rachel, why are their clothes under your clothes?" Nico asked.

"Well, I wouldn't wear them on top of my dress, now would I? THAT would just be weird."

* * *

Later that day, Rachel had a private talk with Dumbledore. While Nico met some new people...

"So," Ron said, coming over to Nico, "you're death boy?"

"Ron," whispered Harry into his ear, "that's not nice!"

"Harry, I think we've already been through this."

"Yeah, well, nice meeting you..."

"Ron Weasley, and this is Harry Potter."

"Right. See ya around, Ron, Harry."

Nico ran away from the two weirdo's so fast, he forgot to watch where he was going. Nico crashed into someone. A boy with a face so pale, you'd think he'd never seen the sun, light blond hair, and stormy grey eyes like Annabeth (though, if anyone ever said that to her, she'd probably punch you.) "Sorry," Nico muttered.

The boy glared at him. "Are you blind? Watch where you're going, idiot!" she snarled.

"Ooh, scary!" Nico said, waving his arms around.

The boy reached for his wand, but before he could say anything, Nico called, "Oh, Mrs. O'Leary!"

Before poor Malfoy could do anything, he was pinned down to the ground by a paw nearly as big as he was!

"What-"

Mrs. O'Leary took his wand and ate it.

"My wand!" Draco wailed. "That coasted me twenty galleons. You'll pay for this half-blood! My father won't stand for anyone insulting the Malfoy's name-"

"If I were you, I wouldn't be threatening me with your father. Because it just so happens, that _my_ daddy, the lord of the dead, can do some interesting things that you probably don't want to see."

Malfoy tried hard not to look scared. "Just get this pathetic beast off me!"

Mrs. O'Leary whimpered, looking at Nico, wondering what she did wrong.

"It's okay, girl," he said kindly, "you can get off of him now."

The dog removed her paw and gave Draco a big, slobbery, wet, kiss.

"My robes!" cried the boy.

"Oh boo-hoo for you."

Draco looked like he really wanted to punch him, but was smart enough to know that this wasn't the kid to mess with. He gave Nico a look of pure resentment, and walked away.

Meanwhile, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, were all laughing hysterically.

When Nico came over, Ron clapped him on the back. "That was bloody brilliant, mate!" he exclaimed.

"Um...thanks."

Hermione looked at them. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Let him go home crying to daddy."

Hermione smiled at Nico. "You know," she said, "you may not be so bad after all."

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**Next chapter, we hear Rachel's plan!**

**And thanx to anyone who reviewed! Now, do it again!**


	16. Chapter 16

**candykiller: Aw! You knew I couldn't resist the cherry!**

**advancedobsessivewriter: Mrs. O'Leary and I thank you **

**pixiestixz and Melt Your Heart: Here you go**

**

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**

Rachel said that in order to be sucsessful, they needed kids to help them.

Dumbledore chose Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville (because they were the only ones to volenteer-okay, Harry and Ginny made them volenteer.)

Harry looked at Dean and Seamus. "Come on, join us."

"Nuh-uh," Dean said, "sorry 'Arry, but I'm not going anywhere with them."

"Yeah," added Seamus, "besides we don't even know who they really are."

"Dumbledore trusts them," Harry said, "that's good enough for me."

"Dumbledore also trusts Snape," Seamus pointed out.

Harry couldn't argue with that.

Neville looked back. "Is it too late to back out?"

* * *

"Alright," Percy said, "Chiron's letting them in through the borders. So we're going to go back to camp-"

"Camp?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it's a place for half-bloods to learn how to fight monsters and stuff."

"Why-"

"Half-bloods have a strong scent that attracts monsters apparently-"

"Lovely," Ginny said.

"So, they train us to defend ourselves against them, so when we grow up we can lead a semi-normal life."

"Where is it?" asked Harry.

"Long Island."

"Which is..."

"New York."

"So how do we get there?" asked Ron, "I mean, none of us are old enough to apparate. Are we taking a muggle plane? My dad's been studying them."

Percy shuddered at the thought. "I sure hope not."

"Why's that?"

"Let's just say...my uncle would blast me out of the sky."

"Who's your unc-"

"NO MORE QESTIONS!"

They all went silent.

"Sorry," Percy said, "Mrs. O'Leary will shadow-travel to take us back-except for Nico, he can do that on his own."

Nico growned. "You never said that part!"

"Well, I'm saying it now."

"Wait, are we actually getting on that thing?" Hermione said.

"Unless you'd rather walk," Annabeth said.

Hermione took that as a yes.

"Tyson, help us on!" Percy said.

Tyson picked up each of them (though many protested) and put them on Mrs. O'Leary's back.

"Alright, girl. Here we go."

Mrs. O'Leary whimpered, but did as he said.

And they all dissapeared into the darkness...

* * *

"Nico?" Percy asked once they had landed. "Where are you?"

"I'm up here," said a muffled voice.

Percy looked up, sure enough, up in a large maple tree nearly as big as Thalia's pine, nico was tangled up in the branches, hanging upsidedown.

About three seconds later, he fell head first to the ground.

"Thank Hades that was grass," he said, rubbing his head.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"This was an unexpected landing," muttered Nico, brushing the leaves out of his hair, "at least I'm not in China."

* * *

**Well? What do you think? Sorry this chapter was short.**


	17. Chapter 17

**wisegirl24256: You can count on that! ;D**

**iggy-is-my-imprint: Sure, what cabin do you want her to be in? I think I can put her in the next chapter.**

**owlgirl16: Thank you I like that part also. I tried to explain it more clearly in this chapter, hope it helps**

**And to (takes a deep breath) zxfgh; pixietixz; Melt your Heart; advancedobsessivewriter; and CrimsonMoon2009: I'm happy you guys like it! **

**At first I didn't think I'd get many reviews for this story, clearly I was wrong.-Now I have almost a hundered! Thank you to anyone who ever reviewed-or even read this story**

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"So this is Camp Half-Blood?" asked Ron.

"Yep. Home, sweet home."

"So, what do we do, now?"

"I'm thinking. Annabeth, go tell Chiron."

"I'm on it!"

Ron raised his hand as he was in school.

"Yes, ...um Ron, right?" Nico said.

"Yeah. So, I'm still confused what exactly are we training for?"

"Percy's going to explain."

"So, you guys, in case you didn't already know, the world is in danger. Kronos, the evil Titan, has taken host of the body of Luke, our..._former_ 'friend'. So, in order to fight him, we have to work togeth-"

"I'm back!" Annabeth said, making Percy jump nearly six feet in the air.

"Don't do that! I was just getting to the good part!"

"Sorry. Anyway, Chiron said that someone has to go up to the attic to have a chat with our old-very old, friend."

"Oh joy!"

"Look, Seaweed Brain, if you're so scared to go up there, ask someone to come with you."

"I'm not scared!" he protested.

Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder. Of course you're not, Percy. Of course you're not."

"I'm not. There's nothing up there to be afraid of."

"Fine, then you could go up there alone. Well, if you will excuse me, I promised Hermione she could meet my cabin mates. Have fun in the attic!"

Percy looked at the others. "I'm going up to consult with the oracle."

"What an oracle?" Ginny asked.

"You don't want want to know."

"It's someone who can see the future," Harry explained.

Ginny's eyes sparkled. "I'm there!"

* * *

"Alright, now...um...what's your name?"

"Ginny."

"Okay, so Jenny, so you can't touch anythi-"

"Ginny!"

Percy blinked. "That's what I just said."

"No! You said 'Jenny', but my name is '_Ginny_' with a '_G_' and an '_I_'!"

"Oookaay, then, _Ginny _with a _G_ and an _I_, let's go."

Percy opened the trap door. "Welcome the attic of doom."

"What do you keep up here?"

"You know, old records, pictures, trophies-and some other stuff you really don't want to know about."

"Why not?"

"Trust me Je-I mean _Ginny_."

"Does the oracle person live up here?"

"Sort of?"

"Why?"

Percy appeared not to hear her. "Oh this is cool," he said, looking at a random trophy, "apparently Shasa Dasiv-"

"That says 'Shasha Davis'."

"I knew that!" Percy said with dignity, "so anyway, she won camper of the year award in 1991. Uh...cool."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "yes, incredable."

Ginny dug through piles of random things. "Hey, look! Someone defeated a hydra."

"I told you not to touch anything!"

Ginny put her hand on her hips. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Look, wizard,-"

"Witch," Ginny corrected, "wizards are only boys."

"Whatever. Witch, wizard,or whatever you are. I don't want to fight. Apperantly, wizards and demigods have been seperated on purpose for some reason. But now, we're going to work together. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, yea-Oh my god!"

"It's really 'oh my gods', but what?"

Ginny pointed to a mummy in a hippy outfit.

"Hey, orcle," Percy said.

"She's the oracle?"

"Yep."

"But why-"

"We don't really know..." he turned to the oracle, "tell us what to do."

Green smoke came out of the mummy's mouth, as she began to explain...

* * *

**Yeah! Now we get to hear the prophecy! **

**Review! Or I'll send Cerberus after you!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Note: A lot of people in this chapter die in the later books, but this is only AU POA in Harry Potter, and AU TLO in Percy Jackson. So some characters that would be dead, aren't. GET OVER IT!**

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**_Meanwhile..._**

While Neville stayed put, and Nico took a nap, Harry and Ron decided that now would be a good time to explore the place.

"Wow. Look at all the stuff!"

Harry nodded in agreement. The place was pretty cool. It had fountains, a strawberry field, different cabins for the campers, and even a stable with a girl tending the horses.

As the two young wizards drew closer, they noticed that these were no ordanary horses, these horses had wings!

The girl tending the horses looked up. She seemed to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was really pretty, with an athletic, slender body, long black hair, and bright blue eyes. "I haven't seen you around here," she said, looking at them suspiciously, "who are you guys?"

"Um...I'm Harry and his is Ron. We're uh...visitors sort of...I guess."

"What up with the winged-horses?" Ron asked.

The their surprise, the girl laughed. "What? You mean you've never seen a Pegasus before?"

"Uh...no."

"Oh. Well in that case, I'm Selina Beauregard," she extended her hand, welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Harry shook her hand, "nice to meet you."

"So, do you already know who your god parent is, or-"

"Actually, we're wizards."

"Wizards...oh, yeah. Chiron said something about that. That is so cool!"

"Can we fly them?" asked Harry.

"Sure!"

Ron stared at the girl, as if she were the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen (and she probably was.)

A boy around seventeen saw Selina and smiled. He came up to her. "Hi, Selina!" the boy greeted.

She looked up and smiled. "Oh, hi, Charlie. Harry, Ron, this is Charlie, my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Ron repeated. he looked at him. He was tall, strong-looking-he almost reminded Ron of that annoying kid at school-Cedric Digory.

"Oh, right!" Charlie said, "you're the wizard people Chiron was talking about."

"Yes we are," said Ron, coming up to him, "and you are?"

"Charles Beckendorf."

"Oh," Ron said, "come on, Harry. I'm not so much in the mood to fly on winged-horses right now."

"Okay," Harry said, "bye, Selina, Beckendorf."

"Bye."

"Whatever," Ron said, marching away.

* * *

"He's all wrong for her, that Beckendorf guy. He's not her type." Ron said to Harry, once they were far enough away.

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing! That's the problem! He's tall, handsome, and he's nice! There's no way I can compete with that."

"Ooh, Ron!" Hermione teased, coming back from her tour of the Athena cabin, "you like her!"

Ron turned a bright shade of red-to match his hair. "I Do not like her! I was just giving an example!"

"Of course you were," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I don't like her."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do t-wait, this is just like the fight you had with Ginny."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is NOT! This is nothing like that!"

"It SO IS!"

"Is NOT!"

"IS TOO!"

"IS NOT. IS NOT. IS NOT!"

"IS TOO! IS TOO! IS TOO! IS TOO! IS TOO IS TOO IS TOO!"

"IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT!" Ron took a deep breath, and continued, "IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT I NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT I NOT!"

"Is not?"

"Is TOO-wait..."

"Ha!" Hermione said.

* * *

**Thanx for the reviews peoples. Now REVIEW!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow, 99 reviews! YAY! **

**CJWrites: Good question, what WAS the point of that chapter?. . .To tell you the truth, I'm not so sure myself. I just needed to write something to delay the oracle...I gues there really was no point-or was there...? **

**clashgrrl: ...Um...hi.**

**

* * *

**

_"Two forces shall collide. _

_And put their differences aside._

_But if the trust is not complete. _

_Their enemies, they won't defeat. _

_Through blood and pain they must go on. _

_Or else their deaths, they shall fall upon. _

_And in the end when all seems lost. _

_It looks like these are their last good-byes._

_An unlikely hero shall arise. _

_But even if all goes well. _

_One will say their last farewell." _

Percy and Ginny looked at each other.

"Well...that doesn't sound too good..." Ginny said.

"Especially the part about 'the last' farewell."

"Does that mean someone is going to die?"

"Well...not necessarily...I mean, it's possible that-yeah, probably."

Ginny looked as though she might cry. "What are we going to do?"

By the time they got down, Rachel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were playing Monopoly.

"There you are!" Hermione said, when they came down. "What took you so long?"

"Uh..." Ginny glanced at Percy, not sure how to break the news.

"There's good news...and bad news..."

"Say the bad news first," said Annabeth, looking up from her architecture book.

"Hey!" Hermione said, just noticing it. "What's this? I thought you couldn't read."

"This is in Ancient Greek."

"Go figure. The girl can't read English, but she can read Ancient Greek."

"Enough," Percy said. "It seems as if one of us won't survive his journey..." he looked at the wizards. "So if any of you guys want to drop out...we understand."

They looked at each other, and huddled up like a football team.

"No," Harry said, after a moment, "we'll go."

The others nodded in agreement. All of them, even Neville, had the same look of determination in them.

"Harry's right, we're in this together."

"Tell us exactly what the oracle said," Hermione requested.

Percy repeated the prophecy to them.

"Well, that certainly sounds like one of us is going to die. The question is, which one will it be?"

* * *

The wizards, Half-bloods, mortal, and satyr, we nervously pacing back and fourth.

When, suddenly, they were interrupted by a sound.

RING. RING.

A cell phone?

Very few of the kids at Camp Half-Blood had cell-phone-which were always kept off-except for emergencies. Cell phone signal attracted monsters, so they tried to keep their calling to a minimum.

Percy turned to the wizards. They didn't have cell phones, did they?

"Rachel?"

"What?-Oh!" Rachel took out her phone. "Yeah. Uh-huh. What? Now? Um...sure, I'll be right there. Bye." She looked up at us. "Yeah...I gotta go, my parents are wondering where I am. If you need me, you know what to do." And with that, she ran off.

"Alright...bye, Rachel." said Percy. "Wait a minute, where's Nico?"

Nico, who had made himself comfortable on a stranded beach raft he found near by, was snoozing away. But when he heard the sound of Percy's voice, he stirred in his sleep. "Bianca, where are the french fries? I told you to get them!" he mumbled.

"Um...Nico?" Percy poked him lightly.

He quickly sat upright, startled. "I'm awake! I'm awake!" he shouted. Nico blinked rapidly. "Huh?" he said, as if trying to remember what just happened. He kept blinking. "What's the deal, Percy?" he grumbled, "can't a guy have a nap in peace?" he lay back down.

"Nico, this is important."

"So is sleep, you can tell me from down here, I'm listening."

"Nico, stop joking around, this is serious."

"I am serious. _Seriously_ tired! Good night."

"Nico, get up. Now."

He groaned.

Percy got a bucket of water, and poured it on hjis cousin's head. "Rise and shine!"

"Fine, fine," he surrendered, "I'm up. Now, what's so important, it had to interrupt my nap?"

"We went to the oracle."

"And..."

"It...it said one of us was going to die."

"Oh, well this day, just gets better and better!"

"Um..." Annabeth said, "hate to break up the cat fight, but we kind of have to save the world, _again_."

"Details, details. Can we at least eat first?"

"Fine, what do you want?"

"Got any Mike and Ikes?"

* * *

**Yes! The prophecy took me forever to write! I don't care if the grammar was wrong, that was a very painful poem to think of! **


	20. Chapter 20

**iggy-is-my-imprint: thank you, I'm really glad you like it! Just one more question, do you want your character to be a boy or a girl, and what should his/her name be, I know you said it once, but I forgot it. And to answer your questions: the half-bloods slept in one of the Hogwarts guest rooms; and Mike and Ikes are a type of candy-kind of like jelly beans.**

**xxThaliaRocksxx: Thanks, the prophecy was the hardest part **

**Mourningstar: Thank you!**

**

* * *

**"Percy," Nico said, "can I talk to you, privately?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Nico took a deep breath. "You remember that idea I had?"

"What ide-oh no...Nico, no. Please."

"Come on, Percy. It's a good idea."

"No, Nico. It's too risky, we're not that dessperate yet."

"Yes, we are. And, as a matter a fact, I think one of the wizards should do it as well."

"Nico, why-"

"After you went up, with that Jenny girl-"

"Ginny," Percy corrected. "It's spelled with a G and an I."

Nico stared at him for a moment. "Anyway, when you guys went off, Rachel told me she had a feeling about that Harry Potter kid."

"Which one was he?"

"The one with the glasses."

"Ah. But Nico, that doesn't mean we can force the poor kid into-"

"Who ever said anything about force? He agreed."

"You already asked him?"

"I wanted to save us time!"

"Wh-"

"Percy, Please, can we give it a shot? What do we have to loose?"

"Oh, I don't know...THE WHOLE WORLD!"

"That was a retorical question. One you don't have to answer."

"Nico, now is not the time for a grammar lesson!"

"AHHHH!"

"Who was that?"

The two ran back to the others.

Ron Weasley was screaming.

"What's wrong?" asked Nico.

Ron pointed to a can of coke. "Th-this...is...THE MOST AMAZING THING I EVER HAD!"

"Soda? You wizards don't have soda?"

But Ron wasn't listening, he just kept going on and on about the coke. "I mean, back at Hogwarts, there's a drink called butter beer. It's kind of like this because it has bubbles-but not this kind of flavor! It's extaordanary! Why am I so hyper now?"

"But...soft drinks aren't allowed outside the..." he turned around. Connor and Travis Stoll were standing there, trying their best to put on innocent faces.

"You gave him coke?"

"Maybe..."

"Well, I have just one question for you..." Percy gave them his best meanicing look. "Do you have any more?"

The twin sighed in relief, and handed him a six-pack of coke.

"Now what do we do with the kid on the caffine high?" asked Annabeth.

"We'll just wait for it to wear off. It never takes too long. He should be back to normal right about..."

Ron stopped running around, and started panting heavily. He ploped on the ground in exaustion.

"...Now," Percy concluded.

* * *

**Again, a short chapter, sorry :(**

**I'm having a bit of a writer's block, so any sugguestions would be great**


	21. Chapter 21

**Alright, another chapter! YAY! **

**Thanx for reviewing everybody!**

**citgirl: Although, you are right, it will be sad. I will keep some things like the books. But Ron's only thirteen. **

**MoonDance29: Good idea! **

**iggy-is-my-imprint: Got it.**

* * *

Percy decided that they should wait at least a couple days before doing the plan-but they always had to be ready in case an enimey attacked by surprise. Nico was unhappy about it, but agreed.

Annabeth was giving Ginny, Neville, and Hermione a tour, while Percy was teaching fighting skills to Harry and Ron. Everyone was careful to keep anything with caffine far away from Ron at all times.

"So that's our activities director, Chiron," Annabeth said.

"He's a centaur!" Ginny said.

"I'm quite aware of that, thank you, Ms. Weasley," Chiron said.

"And this is Mr. D, he runs the camp," she said.

"What does the D stand for?" wondered Neville.

"None of your bisnes!" he shouted, making Neville jump.

"Mr. D is not...he's not exactly a 'people person'. Uh...come on, let's go see something else."

* * *

"So this is where we practice archery," Annabeth said.

"You know, when I pictured a camp, I imagined more people," Ginny told her.

"Well, these are only our year-round campers. The higher your god parent is, the more dangerous it is for you to be around unprotected. So for most of us get to go home for the school year, a couple have to stay. But if you-"

"Hey, Annabeth!" a girl around their age waved to them. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, with iPod headphones dangling from her neck.

"How's it going?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

The girl looked at Ginny, Hermione, and Neville oddly. "Who are they?" she whispered into Annabeth's ear.

"Oh, sorry. These are my new friends, Hermione, Ginny, and...what's your name?"

"Neville," he said in a quiet voice.

"Right, Neville. Guys, this is my friend, Alicia, she's in my Cabin."

"Pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, extending her hand politely.

"Wait...Hermione? Oh my gods! You're those wizards kids!"

"Yeah."

"I'm Alicia Michels, remember if you guys ever need anything, I'm here."

"Okay, thanks."

The Konsh shell blew loudly.

"It's time for lunch,"Annabeth said. "Coem on."

* * *

"These "I don't get it," said Ron flatly.

"You've been saying how you don't get it for two hours."

"But I don't!" he protested.

Percy sighed. "Okay, let's try this again: Kronos is an evil Titan. We do not like him. Not a nice dude."

"I got that part."

"Kronos is trying to take over the world. He somehow got into the body of this guy Luke."

"Got that too."

"Our job is to fight him."

"I know."

Percy threw his hands up in the air. "Then what don't you get?" he demanded.

"How we're supossed to do that!"

"Do what?" Harry asked.

"Fight him!"

"I was getting to that part," Percy said through clentched teeth.

"Oh. Okay, then. What are you waiting for?"

Percy looked like he really wanted to feed Ron to Mrs. O'Leary, but somehow managed to restrain himself. "Okay. Here's the plan: Nico wants me and possibly Harry to go down to the River Styx."

"What's that?"

"It's a place in the underworld where you can bathe in, and become almost completely immune to weapons and stuff. Except for one part of the body, but if it gets injured, you die."

"Cool. Can I go too?"

"No! I personally, don't even want Harry to go, let alone you!"

Ron mummbled something under his breath. The kind of thing Percy's mom would've grounded him for saying.

"Your mission is to take down as many monsters as possible, so it will be easier to fight Luke."

"Got it," said Harry.

"We don't know if your magic will effect them or not. That's why we're also training you with our weapons."

"What do you mean magic won't work on them?" demanded Ron. "everything is effected by magic!"

"Mosters are different from us. They don't have a soul, so they can't die.-Good thing, because I would feel really guilty about all thoughs hellhounds I killed."

"But if they can't die, then what happens to them?"

"Good question. They sort of desolve into a sort of mist or smoke or even sand of some sort. Then they don't come back for a while. If we're lucly, centeries. If not..." Percy let in hang in the air for a while. "On that happy note, let's all have lunch! Then the real training begins!" he said cheerfully.

* * *

**Tah-dah! Another chapter finished ;D**


	22. Chapter 22

Ron woke up in his soft cozy bed at Hogwarts. He had had the weirdest dream with these demigods and he had to go to America and fight a war, and...it was insane. He would have to tell Harry about it later. But as he opened his eyes, he realized he was not in his Hogwarts bed, he was in the big house at Camp Half-blood, which could only mean one thing: it wasn't a dream after all!

Annabeth was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, she looked up when she saw him. "Oh good. You're finally awake."

Ron sat up groggily, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Ten, eleven, twelve? Anyway, now that you're up, get dressed." Before Ron could point out he didn't have any other clothes, Annabeth threw him a huge pile of them. "Your sister told us what your size was. You're welcome."

Ron walked over to the bathroom and got dressed, then came down for lunch (since he had missed breakfast.) Chiron informed the camp that to help with their training, the hunters had agreed to come up and assist the wizards (though of course Ginny, Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had no idea who they were.)

"I would also like to inform you that there will be a game of capture the flag this afternoon, to help train our guests."

"What's capture the flag?" Ron whispered.

"It's a muggle game," Harry explained. "They used to play it sometimes during physical education in my old school with Dudley," Harry frowned. "But I don't see how that will help us with our battle skills."

Ron shrugged and helped himself to a mouthful of BBQ.

* * *

"Okay," Thalia said, "remember, no mater how annoying, rude, irresponsible, or irritating the boys at Camp Half-Blood may be, it is our job to be the mature ones, got it?"

One girl, Emily, the newcomer, raised her hand. "But I thought we're not allowed to be in the company of men."

"Well, I, for one, wouldn't exactly call the boys at Camp Half-Blood 'men'!" said one girl, making several snigger.

"No, that's not correct," said Thalia, though they could see she was trying hard not to giggle. "We are allowed to be friendly with boys, just not..._too_ friendly." This make a bunch of girls burst out laughing.

Emily blinked. "I don't get it."

Leah went over to Emily and whispered something in her ear, making the poor horrified nine-year-old, scream and run into the nearest tent.

Artemis then, chose that moment to appear in front of them. All the wolves came up to greet her.

"Hello, M'Lady," said Jenna. "You are back from the animal conservation meeting?"

"Yes. There were too many men there, and they all were so flirtatious..." Artemis shuddered, "I would rather not speak about it." She looked around. "Where is Emily?"

* * *

**YAY! The hunters are going to be there! :D **

**Sorry this chapter was short, I was busy with stuff and couldn't update for a while, so I rushed through this chapter. **

**Anyway, please leave a review at the sound of the beep._ BEEEEEEEP_**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry that I haven't updated for a while :P **

**This chapter came out shorter than I realized, but the next should be longer**

**Anyway, please review!**

* * *

"AHHHH!" Ginny screamed. "We're under attack!"

"We are?" Percy cried, looking in all directions for the enemy. "Where?"

"There!" Neville pointed with a shaky hand.

Annabeth squinted to see better. Standing there was a grey timber wolf pup. It appeared to be chasing its tail. "Cuddles? Is that you?" Annabeth said to the wolf. She came up to it and stroked the pup's head.

"Cuddles?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, she's one of the hunters' wolves. She was born only a couple months ago when I was visiting Thalia...I wonder why she's away from the others."

"Didn't Chiron say that the hunters were coming?" asked Percy.

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Cuddles must've snuck ahead of them. You naughty little girl!"

"The hunters have pet wolves?"

"Yeah, sort of like guard dogs. I think I see them."

Sure enough, a group of middle-school-aged girls were coming up the hill. When they came into focus, most of the campers had gathered around to see them. The wizards mainly just stood there. Dumb-struck.

"Annabeth!" said one girl, seemly older than the rest. The two friends ran up to hug each other.

"Oh my gods, Thalia!" Annabeth cried, "I haven't seen you in months, how's it been?"

The two caught up, while a number of other campers (most of which were girls) came up to greet them as well.

Eventually, Ginny stepped forward. "Hello, I'm Ginny Weasley."

Another smiled at her. "Hello, I am Artemis. Godess of the hunt."

"Nice to meet you." Ginny decided not to question the fact that she looked only about twelve years old.

Hermione, however, was not. "Aren't you a bit young for a godess?"

A couple of girls clutched their bow and arrows, ready to shoot.

"It's okay," Artemis told them, "we are among friends." she turned to Hermione. "Yes, well, I can look however old I want. But I prefer this body to make my hunters more comfortable."

"So you kill animals?" Ginny asked in horror.

Artemis looked a bit irritated, but answered calmly. "Not exactly. You see, being a godess, I can replenish everything that I hunt."

"Oh." she relaxed a bit.

"Why are you all girls?" Ron blurted.

Now Artemis looked angry.

Another girl, around his age answered. "Lady Artemis does not enjoy the company of _men_," she snarled, glaring at Ron with loathsome. "Do you have a problem with that?" she aimed her arrow, and this time, Artemis did not object.

"No, no!" Ron said, holding up his hands. "I...was just...um...expecting hunters to be a little older...and a little less...female-OW!" the girl had stomped on his foot. Ron grabbed it and started jumping up and down. "What was that for?" he demanded.


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! It really means a lot to me. **

**Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know: AU stands for alternate universe (I think) OC is like other character I think? But it is mostly refered to more of a made made up character. IC is "in character". And OOC stands for out of character. I hope this clears up any confusion. A reviewer asked me this, I forgot who though. **

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! **

**Enjoy ;D **

**And lastly: Oh, Ron, Ron, Ron. Tsk. Tsk. Will he ever learn? (Of course not!)-I think that pretty much answers just about everyone's reviews**

* * *

"Alright," said Chiron, "does everybody know how to play?"

"No," said Ron, Ginny, and Neville.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "It's really simple. There are two teams they both have flags, you job is to find the other team's flag and bring it back to your territory before the other team finds yours. Whoever does this first wins. Any questions?"

"A couple, " said Ron, "wha-"

"Good! No questions."

"Thank you for that, Annabeth," Chiron said. "Now, the Artemis may choose "which wizards or witches she wants on her team."

Artemis nodded at him. "I choose Ginny and Hermione, the rest are all yours."

"Traitor!" Ron yelled at Ginny, as she walked over to the other team's side.

Ginny smirked. "Love you, too!"

* * *

After they had all changed into their armor, Chiron decided to finnish up his pep talk. "Alright, as you all know, magical items are aloud-"

"But sir," Hermione protested. "we aren't allowed to do magic outside to sc-"

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville groaned.

"Really Hermione?" Ron said. "Really?"

"Ron, you know we're not allowed."

"Miss Granger, I give you my permission to use magic."

"But-" Hermione fell silent, seeing everyone, wizards, hunters, and campers, glaring at her.

Harry was excited, magical items meant he could use his invisability cloak. This thing would be an easy win.

Little did he know just how wrong he was.

* * *

Ron was not feeling great. That girl was no older than twelve and had nearly dislocated his foot. He could only imagine what a whole army of them could do. Were they good at strategy? He wondered. Then he'd be dead for sure. Oh, who was he kidding? They had Hermione on their team for crying out loud? If they the rest were half as strong as the one who attacked him was, with Hermione's smarts combined, he didn't stand a chance.

"Are you alright? You look a little green." Percy asked him. It was unbelievable just how different this Percy was from his brother. Ron would trade Percys anytime.

"I-I'm fine."

"You sure you don't want to sit out?"

Ron nodded. "Positive. They're just a bunch of little girl. How bad could they be?" he was talking more to himself then to Percy.

"Pretty bad," said Percy. "I still remember my first game with them," he shuddered, "Bianca pulverised me. And all she did was call over her teamates."

"Who?"

"Bianca, were you listening in Dumbledore's office? She's Nico's-" he stopped.

"What? Who is she? Nico's who? Girlfriend?"

"NO!"

Percy was so abrupt, Ron jumped back in alarm. "Sorry."

"It's fine. -Wait, aren't we supposed to be the jail guards?"

They turned and saw the hunters running back to their base.

"Oops."

* * *

Less than two minutes into the game, Harry had spotted the hunters' flag. This was great! Who would've thought it would be this easy? He reached out his hand for it, when something knocked him down so hard, Harry didn't know what hit him.

It was a boot. A big black boot. And wearing that boot was a girl around fifteen years old. She had short, raven-black hair, and surprisingly electric blue eyes. Harry recordnized her as the girl Annabeth came to greet when the hunters first arrived. "Thalia", she had called her. And standing of either side of her were two wolves, growling and baring their teeth aggresively at him.

Thalia smirked. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

"I-I-"

He was cut short when they heard Chiron's voice. "EVERYBODY BACK TO THE BIG HOUSE! THIS IS IMPORTANT ERGENT!"

Everyone ran as fast as they could to the big house. There were a lot of worried faces.

"It appears that one of the campers is missing."

"Which one?"

"Nico Di Angelo."

* * *

**Oooooh! Where did Nico go? **

**Review if you think you know. Because I have no idea-seriously guys. I'm having a writer's block and making this up as I go along.**


	25. Chapter 25

"Petrificus totalus!"

"Suddenly, Nico couldn't move. Not at all. What the heck was going on here?

A man stepped out from the shadows, he wore black from head to toe. The man chuckled evilly. "Got-cha." He grabbed Nico's petrified arm, and with a loud CRACK, the two of them were gone.

* * *

Nico appeared in a dark room, in a dungeon of some sort.

"Releaso!" the man said, pointing his wand at him.

Nico found he could move again. This was too easy. He closed his eyes and consentrated, trying to shadow travel.

"Going somewhere, eh? I don't think so." a different man came into the room, wearing the same black cloak. Following him, were two women.

"CRUSIO!" the man cried.

Nico felt unbearable pain throughout his body. He would've screamed, but he forgot how to make sounds. He saw his life flash right before his eyes. He was being held in the gentle arms of a dark-haired woman, who Nico realized was his mother. Then he was five years old, racing bycicles with Bianca in the streets of Washington DC. He was fighting Dr. Thorn in Maine. Then...he remembered Percy giving him that terrible news. The news that his sister would not be returning. The news that would change his life forever.

Nico tried to stand up, but he staggered and fell down. He knew there was no way he'd be able to shadow travel in this condition. It was over, he might as well just give up now. His vision was already getting blurry, soon it would all be over, no more pain, no more suffering...

"What are you doing?" a voice demanded.

"Bianca?"

She smiled and touched his shoulder, the way she used to when he was younger. Whenever Nico was upset, Bianca used to comfort him. He didn't realize how much he missed that comfort. Right after her death, he often craved that feeling with her by his side, but eventually, he grew to accept the reality. Bianca was not coming back. So he learned to suck it up when he was feeling angry or sad, he had toughen up. But now, he suddenly longed for that feeling again.

"Nico, you can't give up now!"

"Why not? There's nothing left to fight for."

"Yes there is! There always is. I died so that you would be able to keep going. Don't back down now."

Nico found himself crying. "Why? Why did you leave me all alone, Bianca? I wasn't ready."

"Yes you were. You came this far, and you have far more to come. It's not your time yet." He image began to fade. "I have faith in you."

"Bianca, wait!"

"Good luck, Nico," she called.

"Don't leave me!"

But she was gone. And Nico had never felt so alone before.

* * *

The pain suddenly stopped. Just like that. But Nico still felt weak.

He opened his eyes. It took him a second to remember where he was. The people were standing over him.

One of the lady's laughed hysterically. "Good one, Lucius! Now my turn! Avada Ke-"

"No!" the man shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Getting rid of the little brat."

"Bellatrix, are you insane?" he demanded. "This boy could be the key."

"What key?"

"His father is Hades."

"Impossible! That little wimp is the son of the lord of the dead."

"It fits Draco's discription."

"We'll see about that. DRACO!"

A boy ran down the stairs. Nico realized with horror, that this was the boy Mrs. O'Leary freaked out.

"Is this death-boy?"

"Um..." he reguarded Nico carefully, showing even a bit of pity in his face.

"Well?"

"I...I think so."

Lucius slapped him. "What did you say?"

"I mean, yes! This is defenetly him!"

"Good. Listen, boy. You're our now, so don't bother trying to escape. And just to be sure...IMPERIO!"

* * *

**Review!**


	26. Chapter 26

The campers searched for hours but there was no sign of Nico. And by midnight, Chiron told them to go to bed and they would continue to look for him in the morning. But sleep was the last thing on the childrens' minds, and in the Big House, the wizard continued to whisper long after lights out. (Except for Neville, who was out like a light.)

"I mean, surely there must be some logical reason for all of this," Hermione said, though it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than anything. She tried to sound hopeful but there was no mistaking the hint of doubt in her voice. "Perhaps he just went for a walk."

Ron was not helping. "Yes, Hermione," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure that's it! It makes perfect sense for him to randomly decide in the middle of the game of capture the flag to take a nice peaceful little stroll, not tell anyone, and not return until well after midnight."

Ginny was worried. "Do you suppose he's alright?" she said in a hushed voice.

"Hard to say for sure. What do you think, Harry?" Harry did not answer. "...Harry?"

Harry was rubbing his scar with a pain expression on his face. "...Head...hurts..." he managed to gasp.

"Uh oh."

"Oh my god..." suddenly Harry's eyes went wide. "NICO!"

"What about Nico?"

Harry seemed to return to reality. "It's Nico," he whispered. "They have him."

"What? Who has him?"

"The Malfoys. They kidnapped him."

The Griffindors stared at each in shock. There was a moment of silence.

Hermione was the first one to break it. She cleared her throat. "Harry," she said in a cautious tone, "how exactly do you know this? I'm not doubting you," she added quickly, "it just doesn't make any sense. What would the Malfoys want with him?"

"My scar. I think it's connected to Voldemort somehow,"his friends flinched at the name, "I...I can like feel when his presence in really strong, and sometimes I catch glimpses of things, but it's never been this vivvid before. He must be getting stronger."

Ron slapped himself on the forehead. "Of course! Why hadn't I seen it before?"

"Seen what?"

"Malfoy's father is a Death Eater- a supporter of Voldemort. At least that's what I've heard my dad say. Maybe since Nico's father is Hades, they think..."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"That depends...what do you think I'm saying?"

"That they think Nico could somehow bring back You-Know-Who?" Ginny gasped.

He nodded darkly.

"This is bad."

"We have to tell Chiron!" said Hermione.

"No! By the time we did it would be too late," Harry pointed out.

"Then what do you sugguest we do? Go over and rescue him ourselves?"

"That's exactly what I'm sugguesting we do. Malfoy's home for the holidays and wherever he is, Lucius can't be far."

"Harry, I don't think the Malfoys would be stupid enough to let anybody walk right in. And in case you haven't noticed, we're in America, and Malfoy Manor is in Europe."

"I've noticed, but don't worry. I've got a plan. How did Nico find us in the first place? He did that thing...what was it called? Shadow-traveling."

"Yes, Harry, but if you haven't noticed we can't shadow-travel."

"We can't, but we know someone else who can."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

* * *

They found Mrs. O'Leary sound asleep outside. After a lot of arguing, the trio managed to convince Ginny to stay at the camp as backup. In the end, she was unhappy, but reluctantly gave in and agreed to stay.

"Mrs. O'Leary," Harry whispered in his best I'm-a-friend-so-please-don't-eat-me voice. He hoped he didn't sound _too_ pathetic (which he probably did.)

The massive hound opened her eyes and looked at them.

"Do you want to help us find Nico?" Hermione asked.

Nico's name got her excited. She barked happily and wagged her tail, accidently knocking over Ron in the process.

"Shh! Okay, we need you to take us to Malfoy Manor in the United Kingdom." They climbed on top of the dog.

Mrs. O'Leary whined a little in protest, but allowed them to get on top of her. Then, they were gone.

* * *

They appeared in front of a very startled-looking Malfoy who appeared to be combing his hair in the mirror with a solid gold comb. "What-you-how-GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he stuttered.

Hermione jumped off of Mrs. O'Leary and walked towards him.

Draco pulled out his wand. "I'm not afraid to you, Granger," he sneered.

She snatched the wand from his hand and threw it to Mrs. O'Leary.

"Not again!" he moaned. "That was my new wand!"

The three Griffindors began to corner him, all three wand pointed. "Where is Nico?" Harry demanded in a dangerous tone.

Despite the fact that he was outnumbered, wandless, and trapped in a corner, Malfoy managed to laugh. He was good under pressure, they had to give him that. He looked them directly in the eye and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mrs. O'Leary growled.

Draco flinched, but said nothing.

The hellhound barred her teeth, showing aggressive body language. It didn't take an animal genius to know what she had in mind.

This got him to crack. "Okay, my parents and Aunt Bellatrix have him in the other room."

Hermione grabbed him arm tightly and pointed her wand towards his throat. "What do they wand with him?"

"Get your hand off me, filthy mudblood!"

She tightened her grip, Malfoy squealed in pain. "I really don't know what they're going to do with the idiot. Okay, satisfied? Let go!" he broke from her grasp and tried to make a run for it, but Hermione was too quick, she pointed her wand. "Stupefy!"

Malfoy fell to the ground, unconscious.

Harry took a shaky breath. "Okay, good work, Hermione. Ron, you stay here and make sure Malfoy doesn't wake up. If he does, knock him out again. Hermione and I will find Nico."

Ron looked very pleased with this arrangement.

* * *

Harry and Hermione hewaded to the other room. Sure enough, Nico was there. But he wasn't passed-out on the floor or tied up or anything. He just stood there calmly, his eyes unfocused, like he was dreaming.

"Nico, we've come to bust you out of here!" he whispered.

"Why would I want to do that?" even his voice sounded distant. Like someone was controlling him.

"What do you mean?"

"Soon they'll be back, and everything will be in line. We just need the bone and Harry Potter-" he looked at Harry, as if just realizing it was him. Nico took a slow step towards him.

"Nico...what are you doing?"

He drew out a knife, smiling devilishly. "Sorry, Harry. I really am, but I need to, the man told me."

"What man?"

"The nice man in the cloak who told me that if I listened to him everything would be okay."

"What's wrong with him?" Harry whispered.

"He's been curse somehow. This looks like really dark magic. We can't put a spell on him because we don't know how it will affect him in this state."

"So what do we do?"

"Don't touch that one, Bellatrix!" they heard Lucius's voice in the hallway.

"We each grab one of his arms, on the count of three. One, two, three." In one quick movement they each took hold of one of Nico's arms. Nico was so surprised that he dropped the knife.

"No!" he cried, you can't do this! He will be back!"

Harry didn't even ask.

When they reached Ron he was leaning against the wall with a bored look on his face. He smiled when he saw his fried aprouch. "Oh, thank godness. It's about time you showed up, I was about to die of boredom!" then he saw Nico kicking and screaming, struggling desperately to escape. "Um...what with the..."

"No time! You grab Nico, and get onto Mrs. O'Leary. Got it?"

Ron nodded, sensing the tension in the atmosphere. But he did give Malfoy one last longing gaze. "Are you sure we can't just feed him to Mrs. O'Leary?"

* * *

**So that's chapter 26 everybody! Hope you enjoyed it, I worked extra hard on this one. Thank you for all the reviews, they always make my day! As for the Bianca thing in the last chapter, it was meant to be kind of confusing. I made it so the reader can interrperate it anyway they want. He could've been like almost dead and could see her (like Harry did with Dumbledore in book #7), or her might've just been in so much pain that he halucinating. Take your pick, or come up with another answer. Anyway, please review! **

**;)**


	27. Chapter 27

When they reappeared the entire camp was already there waiting for them. Ginny and Neville had confessed.

"NICO!" Percy cried happily, running over to his cousin.

Nico smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Percy. Untie me, would you?"

Percy laughed. "Sure, Buddy."

But just as Percy was about to slice through the ropes, Hermione stepped in front of him. "No! You can't touch him; it's not safe. He's been cursed!"

"He looks fine to me," Grover frowned.

"He's not! They did some kind of dark magic on him."

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked in consern.

"When we found him, he started acting all weird and-"

"Don't listen to her, Percy!" Nico said, though his eyes were still unfocussed, like he had just woken up. "She's lying!"

"Percy, he's gone mental, don't believe anything he says!" Harry warned him.

"I'm hungry," Ron announced randomly.

Everybody stopped arguing to stare at him. Within about two second, though, the arguing resumed.

Annabeth had had enough. "EVERYBODY, QUIET!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone became silent instantly. "Thank you," Annabeth smiled sweetly, and turned to Chiron. "They're all yours," she said.

Chiron nodded. "Thank you, Annabeth. Hermione, send an owl to Dumbledore. Inform him about the recent events. Hunters, you may go back to Artemis now, thank you for coming. Potter, Weasley, and Granger, although your actions were very admirable, it is against the rules to leave the camp without permission, especially after dark. However, since techincally speaking, you are Dumbledore's not mine, I'll let him decide what to do with you. In the meantime, bring Nico to the infirmary until he is back to normal. And if anybody needs me, I shall be taking a well-deserved nap," and with that said, he left.

Percy turned to Nico. "So what is wrong with him?" he demanded.

"We told you. Whe we found him, he started acting weird. He even attacked Harry!"

"Only because the voice in my head told me to!" Nico protested.

Everybody stared at him.

"What?"

* * *

Nico struggled with the ropes for hours, while mumbling weird things to himself. The campers took turns watching him. It was about lunchtime when the curse finally seemed to wear off. Nico claimed he didn't know what he was doing at the time, all he knew was this strange voice in his head giving him orders.

That was Hermione's lightbulb moment. "That's it! The Imperious Curse!"

"The what?" "

"My dad told me bout those," Ron shuddered. It had not been the most pleasant conversation.

"What's an unfrogivable curse?" asked Harry and Nico at the same time.

"What does it sound like?"

"Um...a curse that's unforgivable?"

"Wow," said Hermione sarcastically. "You're a genius."

Nico made a face.

"If you're caught preforming an unforgivsble curse in the wizard world they send you to Azkaban-wizard prison, for life.

"So what do these curses do exactly?" asked Annabeth, though honestly, she did not want to know herself.

"Well, like I already said, there's the Imperious Curse, that controls you. Then there's the Cruciatis Curse, which causes extreme pain." Nico didn't want to mention that he was pretty sure they preformed that one on him too. "And there's on more..."

"Avada Kedavera," Ron whispered, "the killing curse."

* * *

"But it still doesn't make any sense!" Hermione protested. "How would they know about Nico in the first place?"

"I bet Malfoy told them," said Harry.

Ron clenched his hands onto fists. "That slimy git! Why, when I get my hands on him-"

"Ron, don't," Hermione said, "you would only get into more trouble."

"I knew we should've fed him to that Hellhound!" he muttered.

* * *

"The boy," Bellatrix cried, "where is he?"

"I don't know," Draco said.

"Oh, I think you do," she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, so close he could literally feel her breath on his face. "Where. Is. He?"

"I told you, I don't know!"

"Did you see him?" Lucius demanded.

Draco hesitated.

Bellatix grabbed him by the throat. "Answer your father! Did you see the boy?"

"I-I..."

"Well?" she squeezed his neck tighter. "Did you, or did you not?"

"It was Potter!" he chocked.

"Potter?"

"Yes! Potter, Weasley, and their stupid mudblood friend!"

Bellatrix let go of Malfoy, he fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

"They asked me where he was."

"AND YOU TOLD THEM?" Lucius roared.

"Yes-I mean no. I had no choice, father!" he whimpered, "they-"

"YOU PATHETIC DISGRACE FOR A PUREBLOOD!" Lucius pulled out his wand, about to curse him.

Malfoy's eyes widened with fear. "Father...please..." then a thought occurred to him. "Wait! Camp half-blood!"

"What?"

"Camp half-blood! Long Island, New York!"

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "What are you going on about, boy?"

"Camp half-blood, Sir. Dumbledore mentioned it in his speech. It is a place where demigods are trained to fight. He said that Potter, the two youngest Weasleys, that idiot Longbottom, and the mudblood would be going with them. Last time we only stood outside the camp to get the boy, but if we can get in we could get many more demigods."

Lucius seemed to like the idea. They could create a whole army of them! Oh, the Dark Lord would be very pleased and surely reward him once he returned. He turned to his son. "Draco, my boy, you have finally made yourself useful. Tell your mother to get the others, we are going to New York!"

* * *

**Wow, that took forever! At least I finally updated. **

**Poor, poor Draco. You have to feel at least a little bad for him. **

**Anyway, I promise to update quicker if you review! **


	28. Chapter 28

Despite the fact that it was mid-spring, Draco felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew that dog was out there. It was probably waiting for him to come back. Waiting to tear him to shreds.

The camp seemed to be charmed so that no muggles could see it. But of course, the Death Eaters were not muggles. They had been trained almost every counter-spell in the book. and within minutes, they had destroyed the magical shield. The first thing they saw was a large pine tree, resting at the top of the hill, and wrapped around it was what appeared to be a fleece of some sort, made out of animal skin. But something was odd about it. The object seemed to be almost..._glowing_. This was easy. Almost _too _easy. Then, he saw it. A dragon was slumbering peacefully beside the pine. But Draco had a feeling that it would not be that peaceful if it was awake.

"Okay, here's the plan," Bellatrix said. "Draco, you go scout out the place first, then we go in."

"B-but the d-d-dr-dragon..." Draco protested.

"Oh, stop whining, you little baby! Your name means dragon in Latin for crying out loud!"

"Listen boy," Lucius said in the softest tone he could manage (which wasn't very much), "are you loyal to the family name?"

Draco nodded. "Of course, Sir! It's just tha-"

"You are a Malfoy. And Malfoys do not feel fear. Fear is for the weak. Do we understand each other?"

He nodded again, fighting back tears. "Yes, Father."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, yes, _Sir_!" he corrected himself.

"Good. Now, go do as your aunt said and browse the place. You will give us the signal when the coast is clear. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" _Just a dragon?_ Malfoy said to himself._ No problem!_ Besides, it was asleep, anyway. This would be simple. He could do this. He would prove to his father just how loyal and devoted he really was. He'd show them. He'd show them _all_!

Taking a couple deep breaths, the thirteen-year-old stepped over the boundary. But as soon as he did, the dragon opened its eyes. The beast snarled at him.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Draco retorted. "I'm not afraid of **anything**! I am a Malfoy!"

The dragon charged. He reached for his wand-then he remember-he had no wand! That stupid dog had destroyed it (and for the second time!)

The monster bit into Draco's leg and began to drag him away.

He howled in pain. Malfoy thrashed violently, desperate to get free of the dragon's grip. But it was no use.

Then he saw his father. That was it! His father had a wand! He could save him.

"Father!" he cried out. "Help me!"

But the man did not seem to hear him, and if he did, he ignored it.

"Father!" he cried again. Draco's vision was starting to blur, he could no longer make out the shapes of the Death Eaters. The world was just colors swirling around him. Instead of the extreme pain he had felt minutes ago, Draco began to feel numbness rather than pain. This was not good. Too weak to even try to escape, the boy made one last attempt to call for help. "...father...please..." he said weakly.

And then everything went black...

* * *

Percy was woken up by a loud scraping sound against his door. Assuming it was just the Stole brothers, trying to prank him, he rolled over in bed trying to ignore it.

WOOF!

That didn't sound like the Stole brothers.

Percy stepped outside, and standing there, was Mrs. O'Leary.

"What do you want?" Percy demanded to the massive Hellhound. He didn't like to yell at her, but he was angry. Could a guy get some sleep around here? Now he sounded like Nico.

Mrs. O'Leary looked at him, then made a sort of jerky motion with her head, as if telling him to follow her.

He rolled his eyes. "I can't play now."

She whimpered, putting her tail between her legs in sadness. But the look in her eyes was urgent. As if this was a life or death matter.

Percy sighed in defeat. "Fine, show me what you want, but make it quick."

He followed her down the hill towards the Thalia's Pine tree. And lying there on the ground, motionless, was a body. Percy gasped silently. "Oh my gods," he breathed.

Mrs. O'Leary whimpered, and nudged him forward.

Taking a closer look, he saw the boy was younger than him, by a couple years at least. He was pale with light blond hair-or at least he assumed it was light blond, it was hard to tell for sure in the dark with his hair full of blood. And it wasn't just his hair. He was covered in blood from head to toe.

Percy ran to the Athena Cabin. He banged on the door.

Alicia opened it. "Percy, really?" she said.

"It's an emergency, I need to talk to Annabeth!"

"I'll go get her for you." She returned a minute later with Annabeth.

Seeing the horrified look in Percy's eyes, Annabeth became concerned.

"I need to show you something," he said, meeting her eyes.

Annabeth nodded, as if understanding.

Alicia smirked. "Well I'll just leave you two kids alone..." and with that she closed the door.

* * *

Seeing the boy, Annabeth's mouth dropped open in shock. Being a half-blood, she had seen a lot of injury in her days, but this had to be one of the worst. "I'll go get Chiron," she whispered.

* * *

"Is he...dead?" Hermione asked. After being woken up by Annabeth's footsteps, the wizards came to see what was going on. The second Neville saw all of the blood, he fainted.

"No. But he may as well be. I have no doubt that if it wasn't for MRs. O'Leary he would certainly be dead by now."

"Who is it?" Annabeth asked.

"I can't be certain..." Chiron admitted. "There's too much blood covering him to say for sure."

"That is a lot of blood," Ron agreed grimly.

"But...he's going to be okay, right?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"We hope so. But he has lost a lot of blood. Percy, go get him some Nector, quick. Annabeth, wake some of the Apollo kids, they're the best healers."

They nodded and ran off.

"I hope he's going to be okay," Hermione said. "Poor guy."

"How does someone get hurt like that?" Harry asked.

Hermione examined the wounds. "It was likely an animal attack, you see, there are bite marks and scratches all over him."

"We're back," Annabeth said, with her, were three boys. "Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny, this is Will Solace, Lee Fletcher, and Michel Yew. They are all sons of Apollo."

"Nice to meet you," Ginny said, extending her hand.

Will nodded politely and Lee gave her a half smile. Michel just scowled.

"So where is he?" asked Michel, completely ignoring Ginny.

"Right there," Annabeth pointed.

The three boys stood there in shock. "Wow," they all said at once.

Will walked over to the boy and studied him carefully. "I'd say it was a dragon attack. But there are no dragons in Camp Half-Blood...oh no. Peleus."

"Who?" asked Ron.

"Peleus is the dragon the guards the camp. He's usually friendly to half-bloods. The only reason he would attack would be if..." his voice trailed off.

"If he was an intruder," Hermione guessed.

He nodded darkly.

"Okay, I'm here with the nector," Percy said.

"Stop!" cried Michel. "You idiot!"

"Okay, I give up. What did I do now?"

"He's not a half-blood! It was Peleus that attacked him."

"Doesn't he look a little familiar?" Ron asked.

Harry and Hermione took a look at the boy. There was something about him...like they had seen him before somewhere. Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out a comb. A comb made of pure gold. The boy lying in the bed was Draco Malfoy...

* * *

**Wow! That was a long chapter! :D **

**Review and you get imaginary chocolate chip cookie!**


	29. Chapter 29

The first thing Draco thought when he woke up was that he was dead, but then, why did he still feel pain? Every part of his body felt as if it was on fire. The feeling was just unbearable! It was so bad, that he couldn't move, or even think. Then, he heard voices.

"...So if we can't use nector, then how will we heal him?" asked a female voice. The age was hard to make out, but Malfoy could tell it was a child's voice, probably not too much older than himself.

"We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way," replied another voice, a male one this time. "We gave him some Anti-Biotics, now there's not much more to do than wait and see wait happen."

"Anti-Biotics? We're in the middle of nowhere for gods' sake! How could you possibly have gotten Anti-Biotics, Will?"

"You'd be surprised what the Stole brothers can get their hands on."

Draco let out a low moan in pain.

"Look he's awake!"

Forcing his eyes open, Malfoy looked around in confusion. "Wha-where a-am I?" he asked.

She looked at him sympathetically. He had been right, she did not look more than a few years older than him. Of course, his vision was still a bit blurry, so it was hard to say so for sure. Looking at her more closely, he noticed that she was dressed in muggle clothing.

"Is your name Draco Malfoy?" the boy asked him.

Without bothering to answer him, Malfoy gathered what was left of his strength, and sat up. A skock of sheering pain went through his spine as soon as he did. Involentarily, he whimpered in pain.

Ron Weasley chose that moment to burst through the door. "Where is he?" he demanded. "Where is he? I'll kill him!" he was holding a knife in his hand.

The girl looked at him in both shock and anger. "Hey! That's **my** knife!" she snatched it from his hand.

Wealsey glared at Draco. Then Hermione came in. She grabbed her bookbag, and smacked him with it using all of her might. Before anyone could even react, Ginny, Harry, and Neville came in. Ginny marched right up to him, punching the Slytherin in the face.

Annabeth jumped in front of Malfoy before anyone else could take a swing at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane?"

Ron was shaking with anger. "You don't understand. This...this..._creature_ is the king of all gits. He's the one responsable for the kidnapping of Nico. He and his family have been trying to kill us for years!"

"And so the solution is for you to sink to his level?"

The Griffindors shuffled their feet uncomfortably. At once, they all began to blurt out answers.

"It's not what you think..."

"This is completely different..."

"He's evil!"

"The Malfoys are all dark wizards. They've been-heck, they still _are _supporting You-Know-Who..."

"ENOUGH!" Annabeth screamed at the top of her lungs. Wow, that was the second time this week. "Everybody, except for the Apollo kids, leave, right now!"

No one bothered to argue back. Fighting with an angry Annabeth, is pretty much suicide.

* * *

"So, you don't remember anything?"

"No," Draco admitted. "The last thing I remember was my father telling me..." he stopped.

"What?"

"Never mind."

"No, not never mind. You were about to say something about your father, what was it?" she urged him on.

"I said never mind! Shut up, you stupid muggle!"

Annabeth looked for a moment as if she was about to hit him, but instead she just sighed in defeat, and got up to leave the room. "Good-night," she muttered.

Draco swore and curse under his breath. _How **dare** they keep me like this! The **nerve** of them! Why, as soon as I'm able to walk again, I'll be out of here faster than they can say-_

"Father will get me out of here," he whispered to himself. "He always will."

* * *

**I know, this was a short chapter. Sorry :P **

**Anyway, as for Draco. Well...I'm not sure I'm going to make him a good guy, at least not right away. And no, this will not be one of those Dramione stories (or Dinny for that matter, either.) To be honest with you, those things kind of scare me.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A while back one of my reviewers sugguested that I make this story a little like the book. So I have decided to try that. This chapter is the one where they go down to the underworld, the only difference is that Harry's there, so it won't be exactly the same.**

**

* * *

**"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. And by the way, did I mention that I HATE YOU?"

"It may have slipped out."

Today was the day. Nico had told Harry and Percy that they couldn't afford to wait any longer. They needed to go to the River Styx.

Nico and Percy were trying to ease the tension by making jokes. But Harry was not so laid back. He gripped his wand tightly in one hand. "Are you sure it's safe down here?" he asked as the trio headed for the underworld.

Nico snorted. "Safe? Well, probably not. But as long as you're with me, nothing's gonna happen. Don't worry kids, big Nico will protect you."

But Harry didn't find this funny, it was made him more worried than before. Why had he ever agreed to this?

The stairs went on forever-narrow, narrow, steep, and slippery. They tried to go slow, but Mrs. O'Leary had other ideas. She bounded ahead, barking happily, like she felt right at home. The sound echoed through through the tunnel like cannon shots, and Percy figured they would not be catching anybody by surprise when they reached the bottom.

Nico lagged behind, which Harry and Percy found strange.

"You okay?" Percy asked him.

"Fine." What was that expression on his face...doubt? "Just keep moving," he said.

"We don't have much of a choice," Harry muttered, as he followed Mrs. O'Leary into the depths. After another hour, they started to hear the roar of a river.

They emerged at the base of a cliff, on a plain of plain of black volcanic sand. To their right, the River Styx gushed from the rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To their left, far away in the gloom, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos, the great black wall of Hades's kingdom.

Percy shuddered. He had first been here when he was twelve, and only Annabeth and Grover had given him the courage to keep going. Nico and Harry weren't going to be quite as helpful with the "courage" thing. Nico looked pale and worried. And Harry...well, he hadn't known Harry very long, but he usually seemed pretty calm and focused, now he looked like he was about to throw up.

Only Mrs. O'Leary acted happy. She ran along the beach, picked up a random human leg bone, and romped back towards Percy. She dropped the bone at his feet, and waited for his to throw it.

Despite the siduation, Nico could help but laugh.

"Um, maybe later, girl." Percy stared at the dark waters awkwardly, he turned to Nico. "So...yeah. Um Nico, how do we do this?"

"We have go inside the gates first."

"But the river's right here!" Harry protested, the sooner he got out of this place, the better.

"I have to get something," he told them, and then marched off.

Reluctantly, the two boys followed him.

Lines of the dead stood outside waiting to get in. It must've been a heavy day for funerals because even the EZ-DEATH line was backed up.

"Woof!" Mrs. O'Leary said, bounding toward the security check-point. A large three-headed Rottweiler appeared out of the gloom. The beast stood twice the size of a wooly mamoth. It look just like the kind of thing Hagrid would've loved to keep as a pet.

Harry screamed and hid behind Percy. "Wha-what is that thing?" Harry had seen plently of frightening sights in his life, but never like this.

"That's Cerberus, my father's guard dog," Nico said in a perfectly calm voice, as if this was all very normal.

Now Harry was aware of the fact that three-headed dogs existed. When he was in his first year there was one named Fluffy. But this-this was insane!

But fortunetly for them, Cerberus was not interested in eating them at the moment. He was too busy greeting Mrs. O'Leary.

The three boys watched in horror as the two hellhounds sniffed..._certain_ body parts.

Percy whistled to Mrs. O'Leary, who said good-bye to her new friend, and headed over to her master.

Nico trudged ahead, leading them closer to the palace of Hades.

"Hey!" Percy said, "we're already inside the gates. Where are we-" he stopped. A large shaddow swooped over them. Mrs. O'Leary growled. And, unfortunately, Percy recognized her. "Mrs. Dodds," he whispered.

Poor Harry looked as white as a sheet. "Who?"

She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."

Her two sisters-the other furies-swooped down and settled next to her on the branches of the poplar.

"You know Alecto?" Nico asked.

"If you mean the hag in the middle, then, yeah. She was my math teacher."

Nico nodded, like this didn't surprise him. He looked up at the furies and took a deep breath. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."

Percy tensed. "Wait a second, Nico. What do you-"

"I'm afraid this is my new lead. My father promised me information about my family, but he wants to see you before we go to the river. I'm sorry."

Harry slowly tried to edge away from the winged beasts. Nico turned to him. "You too, Harry. My father is interested in your story."

"You tricked us?"

Percy and Harry were so angry that they both lunged at Nico. But the furies were fast, one grabbed Percy, the other took Harry. The two were so surprised that Harry dropped his wand and Percy dropped his sword.

"Don't struggle, honey. I would hate to drop you."


	31. Chapter 31

**lovetoread1998: Do you mean Draco should be a traitor to the death eaters or to the light side?**

**Okay, here's the next installment of...*drumroll* A New Twist!**

**

* * *

**

Mrs. O'Leary barked angrily and jumped, trying to reach Percy, but he was too high.

"Tell Mrs. O'Leary to behave," Nico warned. He was hovering near Percy and Harry in the clutches of the third fury. "I don't want her to get hurt, Percy. My father is waiting. He just wants to talk."

Percy wanted to tell Mrs. O'Leary to attack Nico, but it wouldn't have done any good, and Nico was right about one thing: his dog could get hurt if she tried to pick a fight with the furies.

He gritted his teeth. "Mrs. O'Leary, down! It's okay, girl."

Harry gave him a look as if to say: What are you doing?

"All right, traitor," he growled at Nico. "You've got your prize. Take us to the stupid place."

They were dropped (and not in the most gentle way) in the middle of the palace garden. It was beautiful in a creepy way. Skeletal white trees grew from marble basins. Flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones. A pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel. It would've been a nice place to spend a Saturday morning except for the sulfurous smell and the cried of tortured souls in the distance.

"Well this is...cheerful," Harry muttered.

Skeletal warriors guarded their only exit. They wore tattered US Army desert combat fatigues and carried M16s. Escaping was out of the question.

The air shimmered before them, three figures appeared- Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

"-Told you he was a bum!" the older woman said.

"Mother!" Persephone cried.

"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!"

"Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction. "At last." Hades turned to Harry. "And who's that?" the death god demanded.

"I...I'm uh-um..."

"That's Harry Potter, sir," Nico said, "the one I told you about."

Hades reguarded the wizard silently for several minutes. Nobody said a word.

"Well," Hades said at last, "it is a pleasure to meet you." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Harry shuddered involentarily.

Next to Percy, Nico knelt. Percy wished he had his sword, so could cut his stupid head off. Unfortunately, Riptide was still off in the fields somewhere.

Harry glanced at the two women. Queen Persephone seemed to be studying him carefully like a rat in a lab. She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with colours.

flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed, roses, tulips, honeysickle. Not what you'd expect from someone who was married to the god of the dead.

The other woman was clearly her mother. She had the same hair and eyes, but looked older and more stern. She reguarded the three with disaproval. "Hmmph," she said, "demigods and wizards, just what we need."

"Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked."

"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. Nico lowered his head in shame. He looked so sad that Harry and Percy would've felt bad for him-if they weren't so angry with the kid.

Percy glared up at the god of the dead. "What do you want, Hades?"

"To talk, of course," The god twisted his mouth into a cruel smile. "Didn't Nico tell you?"

"So this whole quest was a lie. Nico brought us here just to get killed."

"Oh no," Hades said. "I'm afraid Nico was quite sincere about wanting to help you," he turned to Harry, "you too, though I can't imagine why. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and take you here first."

"Father," Nico said, "you promised that they would not be harmed. You said if I brought them, you would tell me about my past-about my mother."

Queen Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we_ please_ not talk about _that woman_ in my presence?"

"I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something."

The older lady harrumphed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers, but _noooo_. You had to eat the pomegranate."

"Mother-"

"And get stuck in the underworld!"

"Mother, please-"

"And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"

"DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."

"Oh, a house is it?" she said. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp-"

"I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth, "there's a _war_ in the world above. You and Persephone are much better off here with me."

Percy had had enough. "Excuse me," he interrupted. "But if you're going to kill me, could you just get it over with?"

* * *

**A short chapter, I know. But couldn't find another place to stop for a long time, and frankly, I'm just too lazy to type that long. **

**Anyway, who's excited for winter break? I'm going on vacation a little early, I'll try to update once more before I go. **

**I'm thinking I'll add a bit more of Malfoy in the next chapter. Any ideas?**


	32. Chapter 32

**First of all, I'd like to thank Aurora Borealis 97 for giving me an idea for part of this chapter.**

**And thank you to everybody else who has ever reviewed or even read this story, it means the world to me! ^_^**

* * *

"Well, this one has an attitude," emeter observed.

"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."

Harry was liking this Hades guy less and less every second.

"Father!" Nico said. "You promised!"

"Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go around incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."

Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out. Let me kill him just a little bit."

"Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him, just a little bit."

"Can I at least kill the scrawny one?" he said, looking at Harry.

"Oh, come on!" Persephone cried. "The poor little guy is shaking from fear. Please, husband, just this once..."

Hades sighed dramatically. He smoothed the folds of his robes. "And so I shall. Your mother-what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman." He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear. I mean for a mortal, of course. Her name was Maria Di Angelo. She was from Venice , but her father was a diplomat in Washington D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, _other_ children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way."

"That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"

"The _what_?" Harry demanded. But nobody seemed to even notice that he was there.

Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I wanted to wait for the right time to bring you out."

"But what happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?"

"Not important," Hades snapped.

"_What_? Of course it's important. And you had other children-why were we the only ones sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"

Hades grit his teeth. "You will do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer..." Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, the fury, Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She/he looked strange crouching on Hades's shoulder. Harry found this sight quite a bit unsettling, and could feel his lunch catching up with him.

"You!" Nico cried.

The fury crackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!"

Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the Casino?"

"You know why," Hades said, "this idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."

"You mean the one that you and Ginny heard?" Harry asked.

"No. A...different one. I read it earlier in the year, before I met any of you guys. It said something about a child of the big three gods-Hades, Poseidon, or Zeus, would make a choice that would either save or destroy the world on his sixteenth birthday."

"Oh. So it would be either you, Thalia, Nico, or Bianca?"

"Bianca?" Demeter repeated. "I seriously doubt that."

"Why not?"

Nico hung his head low.

"Nico, what's wrong? What happened to Bianca?"

"Didn't Nico tell you?" Persephone demanded.

"Tell me what?"

"Bianca's dead," Nico whispered, still refusing to meet anybody's eyes, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was crying.

* * *

Draco woke up again, there was someone sitting at the foot of his bed. It was a very large girl-for a second when you would first see her it looked like she was fat. But then you'd realize just how wrong you were. Taking a closer look, Malfoy noticed it was not fat-but muscle, a lot of it. She also had stringy brown hair and appeared to be fidgeting with an arrow.

"Who are you supposed to be?" demanded Malfoy.

The girl turned to face him. Her brown eyes were so dark that they appeared black in the dim light. "I'm Clarisse La Rue," she introduced herself, "daughter of Ares, god of war.'

Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course you are," he muttered.

"What did you just say, punk?" she demanded.

"Well I just assumed that the god of war would have just boys-seeing only they can fight in battles."

Draco had just made what may be the worst mistake of his life.

Clarissa growled at him, much like a rabid dog. "You're wrong! Women fight in wars all the time!"

Draco found her anger to be quite amusing, so he decided that pushing her a little further couldn't do any harm. His shook his head with mock pity. "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Your father was probably wrong."

Clarisse clenched her hands into fists.

"Or maybe he just said that to make you feel better."

"Stop it! I'm warning you!"

"...Poor old Ares, too ashamed to admit to his girl the truth..."

"Okay that's it!" Clarisse lifted her spear. "You just barked up the wrong tree, kid!"

Draco had to admit, he never saw this coming. In a flash, Clarisse ran towards him, spear in hand, he felt a sharp stab of pain, and then everything went black (again.)

Moral of this chapter: Never underestimate a girl (especially if that particular girl happens to be an angry daughter of Ares who is currently holding a spear)

* * *

**Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Poor, poor, Draco. Will he ever learn? (Of couse not!)**

**So what will happen next? Find out after winter break!**

**Please review!**


	33. Chapter 33

When Jake Mason arrived at the camp the camp the following day drenched in blood, sweat, and sea water, it was not a good sign. Katie Gardner, a daughter of Dememter, was the first one to spot him. She quickly dropped the flower she had been planting and ran over to Jake. "What happened? Where were you?" she demanded.

"Princess Andromeda...get...Chiron..." he gasped between pants. "B-Beckendorf's...dead..." he paused, and a look of utter horror appeared on his face. "Oh gods, Silena's gonna...kill me!"

"Calm down, Jake. Silena won't kill you. She might really badly _hurt_ you, but..." seeing that this was not exactly helping, Katie went to go get Chiron.

* * *

The news spread quickly throughout the camp. Since Percy had been out with Nico and Harry, Beckendorf was forced to improvise in his plan. He took his bunk mate, Jake, along with him instead, because he had been there during most of the planning, and would be able to play Percy's part efficiently. Jake had just enough time to jump on a life boat and paddle to safety. Beckendorf, however, was not so lucky, he had been captured by monsters and still pressed the button that would set off the explosives, giving Jake a chance to escape. Beckendorf had sacrificed himself.

Everybody was effected by his death in some way or another. But nobody was nearly as devistated by the news as Silena Beauregard. And Clarisse (who had decided that she was Silena's personal bodyguard after helping her with boyfriend troubles last summer) made sure no one got in her way.

Only was person was stupid enough to try to talk to Silena at this point. And that person was Ron Weasley.

"Um...hey, Silena?"

The Aphrodite girl looked up. She had been busy sobbing over pictures of her boyfriend. "Wha-what?" she wiped her tears on her sleeve.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened to Becken-"

Silena burst into tears again.

"-dorf."

Clarisse cracked her knuckles. "Do you want me to take care of him for you?" she asked Silena.

She shook her head. "No thank you, Clarisse."

Silena opened a box of chocolates. "You want a bon-bon?" she asked Ron, "my dad owns a chocolate shop. He sent me these, thinking they might...ch-cheer me up."

"You don't want them?"

"Naw. This is like my fiftieth box, anyway. Plus, they kind of taste like cardboard," she forced a smile, that looked super painful.

Ron took one. "Here," he said, handing her a boquet of flowers he had picked for her. "I thought these might make you feel better."

The flowes were mostly brown and wilted, but Silena smiled anyway. "You got these for me? Aw, that's so sweet! Ron, right?"

He nodded. _She remembers my name!_ He thought happily. Then he instantly felt guilty. The poor girl's boyfriend had just died and he wanted to flirt with her? No, he had come here to comfort Silena, and that was what he was going to do. "You know," he said, "Beckendorf was really lucky to have a girlfriend like you. I think you meant a lot to him. You made the last year of hi life the happiest." And he meant it too.

Silena's lip trembled. Ron half expected her to burst into tears again. But instead, she gave Ron a quick kiss on the cheek (okay, it was more of a peck, but down tell that to Ron!) "Thanks, Ron," she said, "for everything."

Clarisse said some really nasty words. But Ron couldn't hear her. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside, and he passed out on the spot.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the River Styx. Hades got pissed off and locked Harry and Percy in a cell where Nico rescued them, then they wen to the river and Percy became immortal, yada, yada, yada. But then Hades attacked them for some reason, and Percy fought him and won, and they went and found Harry's wand and left on Mrs. O'Leary. Harry never got a turn in the River Styx, but personally, he was okay with that.

"Well," Percy said, as the two rode the massive hellhound through New York. "**That** was an interesting experience. How about we never do that again?"

"Agreed," Harry said.

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**Review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Note: It is currently thought that Malfoy is dead (except for the people in Camp Half-Blood, obviously)**

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**Blaise Zabini, Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, and Theodore Nott sat in the Slytherin common room. It was well past midnight and everyone else had gone to bed.

Pucey sighed. "I feel kind of guilty about this, guys," he admitted.

"Well don't," Flint said. "The kid's filthy rich and it's not going to do him much use now, anyways."

"Besides," Theodore added, "it's not like we're taking all of it. And we need the money more than him." Nott grinned maliciously- a grin that would send chills down anybody's spine. "The Ministry's been on our case for months. Father had bribe most of them to go away, but when we ran short, he...um..._took care_ of them. After all, we couldn't let them find our little...erm..._collection_, now, could we?"

Blaise Zabini stared at the boy with huge eyes. "I'm feeling a strange combination of fear and respect for you at the moment, Nott."

They all laughed.

A-ACHOOO!

"Bless you," Pucey said. Then he froze.

The four Slytherin boys turned around one by one to face the direction where the sneeze had come from. And crotched behind the couch was a small figure in a nightgown with long auburn hair. She smiled awkwardly at them. "Um...hi?"

She tried to make a run for it, but Flint grabbed her gown and pulled her to face him. "What are you doing up?" he hissed, "it's past midnight!"

"I could ask you the same question..." she said.

"Wow," Blaise whispered to Nott, "she's good."

Flint shot them a glare, quickly silencing the two. Then he turned back to the girl. "I can give you detention, you know. I'm a prefect!"

"You sound like that Weasley boy," said Nott, amused.

"Wait a minute! I know you-you're...you're that Greengrass girl, right? Daphne's sister. Um...oh, Astoria! Yeah, that's your name."

"Yes it is. And by the way, I heard what you guys said you were going to do."

"So?"

"So, I'm going to tell Professor Snape!"

"No-"

Theodore pulled his mate aside. "Big deal, so she tells Snape. He loves us anyways."

"You people are really horrible at whispering, you know that, right?" She said, "and, yes, Snape does like you, but not as much as he liked Malfoy, and he will not stand for this!"

The boys cursed under their breath. They knew she was right, after all.

Flint sighed. "Okay, Greengrass. So what's it gonna take to shut you up?"

Astoria smiled slyly. "I want in."

* * *

Getting into the boys' dormitory was easy enough, Zabini knew the code on the door to the inside.

"Alright," said Blaise, "I call dibs on his broom!"

"We are such bad people for doing this..."

Nott shrugged. "I can live with that."

But as Blaise crept closer to the bed, all of a sudden he was thrown across the room.

Zabini's eyes widened in horror. "Impossible!"

"What?" Astoria asked.

"Draco protects his bed with like fifty different curses so that nobody can steal from him. But spells don't work if the caster is dead..."

Astoria gasped in awe. "You don't mean..."

He nodded. "Malfoy is still alive."

* * *

There was a moment of complete silnce (except for Crabbe and Goyal's super loud snoring.) Finally, Astoria spoke. "We should tell somebody."

"Don't be stupid. Who would believe us?"

"Snape would."

"But then he would ask us what we were doing near Malfoy's bed. No; it's too risky."

"Then we should help him ourselves!" Astoria declaired.

The boys burst into hysterical laughter. All but Astoria, who's face remained blank.

"Wait," said Blaise, "you're actually _serious_?"

"Come on, guys. It's the right thing to do!"

Flint snorted. "Says the girl who wanted to help us loot Malfoy's bed just a couple minutes ago. I mean, honestly, are you even listening to yourself? You sound like...like a...a _Gryffindor_!"

She crossed her arms. "Well, maybe I'm tired of Gryffindor getting all of the credit. They think they're so great-well, THEY'RE NOT! I'm sick of people going crazy all over Potter and his annoying friends! I'm sick of people going after me just because I'm a Slytherin! Slytherins are sly, cunning, and determined, not evil-not all of us, anyway! This is my chance to be a hero! To show people what Slytherin is all about. We dislike the other houses, but this is someone from our side! Our ally! Don't you want to be able to rub our success in the faces of those stupid Gryffindors?"

Blaise made a face. "Why should we help him?" he demanded. "What has Malfoy ever done for us?"

Astoria's eyes were on the verge of tears. Her adorable little first-year eyes pleaded with them desperately. But in the end, she knew it was no use. "Fine, well if you're not going to help find him, then_ I_ will!"

* * *

**For those of you who do not know who Astoria Greengrass is, she is the girl who later on married Draco Malfoy in the series. J.K. Rowling said so in an interview. We know little to nothing about her, all we know is that Astoria is the younger sister of Daphne Greengrass (who is mentioned at least once in book 5 OOTF when she took her O.W.L.s at the same time as the golden trio) and is two years younger than him. I like her character and find her interesting. I like all the Slytherins, really. I don't think they are all evil, just misunderstood-or at least some of them are.**

**Anyway, please review! More PJO stuff to come in the next chapter (hopefully)!**


	35. Chapter 35

'Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Go away, Blaise," Draco mumbled.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

"Ahh!" Draco woke up with a start. He was still in the infirmary in that Camp Half-Blood place. There was an owl on him- wait, an_ owl_? Draco rubbed his eyes and looked again to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. And sure enough. there was a golden-coloured Tawny Owl right on top of him with a note in its beak.

The owl squawked irritably. Probably saying,_ just take the freaking letter already_!

"Alright, alright!" he said, taking the note.

**_Draco_**, it said,**_ I need to know where you are located, Everybody thinks you are dead. I am planning a rescue mission. But first, I must know where you are. _**

**_Professor Snape _**

_Dead? Why_- then it hit him: of course! It all made sense now! That's why no one had come to his aid yet! They thought he was dead! _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! _ He scribbled a reply on the back of the parchment. _Soon, it would all be over, _he thought, _soon he would be taken away from this freak-show_!

Now, of course, we all know that Snape doesn't dot his _i's_ with hearts. But unfortunetly, Malfoy was too tired and on heavy medication to tell the difference.

* * *

"You're not Professor Snape," was the first thing Draco said.

Astoria smiled. "How about, 'thank you so much, Astoria, for coming _all_ the way from_ Europe_ just to save _your_ sorry butt!'"

_Astoria_, the name sounded familiar. "You're Daphne's sister, aren't you?"

Astoria sighed. She was tired of always being called "Daphne's little sister". She was much more than that, after all.

She took the blanket off of him. There was blood everywhere! Astoria screamed in horror. "What happened?" she breathed.

"That is none of your concern!" Draco snapped.

Astoria made a face. This was not what she imagined being a hero would be like. Everyone was supposed to love the hero- to shower them in glory when they saved the day. Didn't he understand how much trouble she had gone through just to get here? She was nearly burnt alive in all the fire places she had to floo through!

She sighed. She should've known that she wouldn't get any praise from a Malfoy. He was a Slytherin. Admitting that a little girl had helped him would be showing weakness. That's why she said she was Professor Snape on the note, Astoria knew that Malfoy would never answer to a little first-year girl. That's just the way it was. But could she really blame Draco? He was just being himself. And who he was did not allow him to expose any weakness or vulnerability. Astoria knew this, but it didn't mean she accepted it. Was a mere thank you too much to ask for? _Yes, _she answered herself, _from Draco Malfoy it is_.

If people would put down Potter whenever he did a heroic act, would he still do?_ Probably,_ Astoria snorted,_ he is Potter after all_! Stupid, pathetic, naive, Potter! He would risk his life for his friend s without expecting any payment or reward. Why? Because it was simply the right thing to do. But was it worth risking your life for someone else's if they are not even going to thank you? And for what purpose? Simply the satisfactory of doing a good deed? Even if nobody recognizes it but you. She hated Potter for doing that. Astoria realized just how glad she was to be in Slytherin. They may not be the friendliest bunch, but they were smart enough to put their own lives before someone else's. Even now, it wasn't like Astoria was risking her life, she was just helping out a fellow Slytherin. Malfoy had alway been kind of mean to her, a bit of a bully. But he was like that to everyone. He didn't like or hate her any differently from the rest of their housemates. Would Potter bother going through all this just to help somebody who was mean to him? Probably. But what if that person was a Slytherin? Then no. Why? Because people thought Slytherins were evil. They were judged without reason. She'd prove that they were wrong! She would show them that a Slytherin can be righteous! She'd prove once and for all that Potter wasn't as great as everyone thought he was. That, she, Astoria Greengrass was capable of being an even better hero than Potter!

"Come on, Malfoy," she said, "we're gonna bust you out of here!"

* * *

**I'm trying to make this story work for both Slytherin lovers and Slytherin haters. I hope I'm doing okay so far. I apologize for this chapter being so short, but I already have the next one written out, so since there's no school today for me, I might be able to even update today!**

**So what did you think of Astoria's rant? Let me know and leave a review please!**


	36. Chapter 36

******I was looking back at the beginning of this story and I realized how much my writing has improved since then. At the beginning the writing was choppy, the chapters were short (even more than they are now), and it was way too dialogue-heavy. I'm so glad I kept going because I really do like this story. And you what the main reason why I didn't get lazy and given up months ago? My reviewers! Thank you so much for anyone who has reviewed or even ever read this story-I know, it sounds cheesy, but I truly think that I would bailed on this story long ago if it wasn't fro you guys. So, thanks again, you rock! ;D**

**I've been trying to respond to the viewers. So if anybody has an idea, please feel free to let me know in their review. I can't promise anything, but I will take it into serious consideration.**

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

t was Percy's turn to bring food to Malfoy. This was why he was in such a bad mood. He knew he should've picked paper instead of scissors!

"Um...two out of three?" asked Percy hopefully.

Annabeth smiled sweetly at him. Too sweetly.

"Uh oh," he moaned, "the only time you ever smile at me like that is right before you-"

SMACK!

"-Slap me."

"Seaweed brain, we had a deal. Now bring Blondie his food!"

Percy knew better than to argue.

* * *

As Percy neared the infirmary he stopped short. He heard voices. But he was too far away to comprehend what they were saying. Quietly, he crept closer until he was within understandable-range.

"...Well, can you walk?" asked someone- a girl, no doubt, a fairly young one by the sound one it. But Percy didn't recognize her voice as one of the campers.

Then came Malfoy's reply. "Of course I can walk, you little-" there was a loud SNAP, followed by a high-pitched shriek, but Percy had a feeling it didn't come from the girl.

"...I'll take that as a 'no'..."

"Shut up, I'm fine!"

"No, you're not. There's no shame in admitting that you need help."

"I don't need help!" he spat. "Especially from you!"

Percy accidently dropped the plate of food he had been carrying, and he could do nothing but cringe as it fell to the floor. He cursed silently in ancient Greek-a word that would've gotten him grounded for months if his mother had heard.

The voices stopped. "Did you hear that?" asked the girl.

"Yes, I'm not deaf-Astoria, what are you doing...?"

"Somebody's outside the window!"

_Oh, crap!_ thought Percy, he tried to duck, but Astoria beat him to it.

"Aha!" she said, "I knew there was someone here!"

Taking a better look at the girl, Percy realized that she was even younger than he had first suspected. The girl was short, even for her age, which seemed around ten or eleven years old. She had long wavy auburn hair and bright green eyes, not unlike his own. She looked a little like Rachel Dare in a way, only this girl's hair was less frizzy and had more brown in it, not to mention she was about five years younger. Her eyes were huge, like a cartoon character's. They seemed to big for her face-this of course, only made her look even cuter. She had a wand in her hand and so she was obviously a witch.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I'm not scared of you!" she cried, pulling out her wand, but Percy could see that her hand was trembling. "Don't try any tricks! I-I'm warning y-you!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Percy tried to assure the girl.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" she shouted the first spell that came to her mind.

"What the-" suddenly, Percy Jackson was lifted into the air.

Malfoy, however, looked unimpressed. "_Wingardium Leviosa_?" he demanded, "is that the best you can do?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Perfect, but in case you have forgotten, I'M ONLY ELEVEN!"

"That's no excuse!"

Astoria threw her hands up in the air in annoyance. "Merlin, Draco! What's your problem? Two minutes ago you wanted me to get lost and now all of a sudden you want my help?" at this point she had lost her focus on the spell she was casting. Poor Percy came crashing to the ground.

"...Ow."

* * *

"ASTORIA! ASTORIA!" Zabini called.

Belinda, a small girl with long black hair hair that shared a dorm with Astoria, ran down into the Slytherin common room.

"Any luck?" asked Flint.

Belinda shook her head. "I've looked everywhere for her! In the closet, under the bed..."

Daphne burst into tears, while her friend Millicent Bulstrode tried her best to comfort her. "Don't worry," she said, in a surprisingly gentle voice, "we'll find her. I promise."

"N-no, we won't!" Daphne sobbed, "it's j-just like M-Ma-Malfoy all over again!"

At the mentioning of Pansy's "boyfriend", she, too, began to cry hysterically.

The boys shifted uncomfortably, they weren't used to dealing with so much emotion. Flint, since he was the prefect and felt that he should say something, cleared his throat. "Daphne, we will do everything in our power to find your missing sister and bring her back safely."

For a moment, he thought that his plan had worked, the room was silent. Unfortunetly for them, the silence last only about ten seconds. Marcus had hoped that this would stop the annoying crying, but instead, all his words did was make even **more** girls cry with his touching words.

He looked helplessly at Pucey and Nott. "Any ideas?" he asked. They knew the situation was bad then, because Flint never asked for help from anyone.

"I have one," said Emelda, a second-year girl, and among the few females who were not crying. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

Instantly, the loud sobbing reduced dramatically to nothing more than a few nervous whimpers. **(an/: Yes, this does seem to happen a lot in this story.)**

Emelda smirked. "You're welcome," she said to the boys.

Flint shrugged. "That works."

* * *

**Yes, I know I said I would update and I didn't. But I have a perfectly good excuse: I was grounded. No further questions. End of story. **

**I recall getting a request for more Theodore Nott, so you will be seeing a bit more of him in the future. **

**Please review!**


	37. Chapter 37

In the Great Hall Theodore Nott locked eyes with Flint, Pucey, and Zabini. He jerked his head towards the door. "We need to talk," he said to them.

Blaise moaned. "Can't it wait until after breakfast?" he whined.

Only Flint recognized the severity of the situation at hand. He grabbed Zabini and Pucey by their short collars. "No," he said, "it can't."

The four boys rushed out of the Great Hall and into the hallway. "What?" Pucey spat, "I didn't even get to finnish my pancakes!"

Nott ignored him. "Do you remember last night when Astoria said that she was going to find Malfoy?" The others all nodded and Theodore closed his eyes and paused for a moment, as if not sure how to tell them. "Well," he said, "I think that she may have actually been serious."

Pucey's jaw dropped open. "That's impossible!"

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "Is it?" he asked slyly. Nott pulled out a small crumpled piece of parchment. "Look at this," he said, "Belinda found it while searching the dorm."

The boys looked at the parchment, then at one another, then back at the parchment. It was quite an amusing sight for Nott. "Wow," said Blaise finally, "if Malfoy believes this, then he must be desperate for help. I mean, she spelled 'located' wrong!"

Marcus looked suspicious. "Desperate for help? Doesn't sound like the Malfoy we know."

"It says here that he's located at Camp Half Blood-isn't that the place where those demigod blokes are from?"

"I think so. But it's in America, there's no way she could get there by herself. She can't apperate, and even if she was of age it's impossible to do on Hogwarts grounds. So if she did do it, how?"

"Floo'd."

"Come again?"

"Maybe she Floo'd. You can't do it in the common room, but you can in the teacher's offices if you know a secret password."

"And how do you suppose a mere first-year like her would find it?"

Nott bit his lip thoughtfully. "I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Why do we even care, anyway?" asked Flint, "it's not like she was our great friend. And even if she was, I'm not putting my life on the line for anyone else! Is everyone else but me here mad?" he demanded.

"I'm not sure why," Theodore admitted, "I just know I won't be able to live with myself if I knew I let an innocent little girl die-" he paused, looking horrified and utterly disgusted with himself. "Oh god, Merlin, save me! I'm turning into a Griffindor!"

* * *

Astoria was in a bad situation. She knew she couldn't just go back not-she was so close! If she returned now, then that meant she had failed her mission and that she was really a coward after all. Only the weak retreated when there's a bump in the road. And Astoria knew one thing for sure-she was **not** weak!

Percy held up his hands. "Look, I don't want any trouble," he told her. "Ypu're not supposed to be here. Others...well...they won't be as laid back as me. I don't want anybody to get hurt."

Astoria laughed coldly. "Of course you don't," she said, "and kidnapping Malfoy really shows it, too."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, "I didn't kidnap anybody!"

"Right, I'm **so** sure," Astoria's voice was dripping with heavy sarcasm. "I suppose Malfoy was just stupid enough to walk right up to a dragon and put his arm in its mouth."

"Um...kind of?"

Malfoy leered at the two of them.

"Er...is that supposed to be intimidating?" asked Percy.

"I have no idea."

* * *

"What do you boys think you are doing?" a stern voice demanded.

The Slytherins froze.

"P-Pr-Professor McG-Gonagall," Blaise said, "what are you doing here?"

"I think the question is, what are you four doing here? Why aren't you at breakfast? Snooping the halls is strictly prohibited."

"Oh, yeah?" Theodore muttered, "what's your excuse?" As soon as he said those words the boy froze. His face turned bright red. "I-I m-mean..."

"Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Nott, for that attitude of yours. I would take away more, but I understand that one of your housemates has gone missing-don't get any ideas though. If I catch any of you doing something like this again, it will be detention!"

Pucey stomped his foot in anger. "That's it? A kid's gone missing and all you're going to do is go little easy no us? You should be looking for her!"

McGonagall glared at him. "That is quite enough-"

"Oh, I'm not finished just yet!" Adrian said, "this is because we're in Slytherin, isn't it? I bet if a Griffindor went missing, the entire school would close down to look for them!"

"How dare you accuse me of-"

"Yeah," Blaise added, "you can't judge us! It's not fair!"

"If you don't start seriously looking for Astoria right now, we will ourselves," Nott said.

"He's right," Flint said, which shocked everyone. "She may not mean much to you, Professor. But in Slytherin we care about everyone in our house. We don't care how many points you deduct, or how many detentions you give us!"

The boys were all shocked at their own bluntness. They never meant to say those words, they just sort of slipped out. Especially to McGoanagall. They never really had anything against her-in fact, second to Snape, she had always been many of the Slytherin's favorite teacher. She was the least bias of all the staff and seemed to be fair to everyone. She wasn't too soft like Dumbledore. But there was no doubt in any of their minds that if she had to choose one house above all others, it would be Gryffindor.

They expected McGonagall to go balistic, giving them detention for months, but instead she grew pale. She opened her mouth to give them some really harsh punishment, but before she could, Nott made one last desperate struggle to escape punishment. "Wait! We know where she is!-Astoria Greengrass. Her and Malfoy."

McGonagall looked at him suspiciously. "Mr. Malfoy is dead."

Theodore swallowed. "Not, he's not. He and Astoria are in Camp Half-Blood, it's in Long Island, New York. We think that she may be there."

For a moment everything was silent. No one dared to make a sound-or even breathe. Finally McGonagall said, "we will look. But do not think this lets any of you off the hook. Detention for a month and thirty points will be taken away-each."

"But that's a hundred and twenty points!" complained Pucey.

"That is so unfair!"

"Yeah!"

"Very well, we shall make it fourty points each."

"Fourty?"

"Would you prefer fifty?"

"Fourty is good."

"I thought so."

* * *

**Review!**


	38. Chapter 38

McGonagall apparated into the Camp Half-Blood infirmary (**an/: the reason she could get in, was because, like Astoria, Draco gave permission for anyone coming to rescue him. And, as we all know, you can only get into the camp if someone from inside wants you to, so...**) which caused Percy to jump about four feet into the air. "Yah! What is it with all these wiard-people showing up?" he demanded.

Astoria gasped in disbelief. "Professor McGonagall?" she squeaked.

"Hello, Ms. Greengrass."

Percy remembered the lady from Hogwarts who kidnapped him, Nico, and Grover. He shuddered at the memory. "Hey," he said awkwardly, "what brings you here?" he assumed that she wasn't here to buy an strawberries (which was a shame, because they really were quite good.)

"I am here to retrieve two of my students," she said without even looking at him-and Percy wasn't complaining.

"What stu-oh, them. Yeah, Chiron said that he was going to contact you, but I guess either he forgot, or didn't have time, or didn't know how."

Astoria looked puzzled. "No. I saw a couple owls here."

"Yeah, they usually like to hang out by the Athena cabin, why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"You know, you could always just send an owl."

Now Percy looked confused.

"Enough of this!" Professor McGonagall cried, startling everyone.

"Anyway, it's a good thing you came now, because we were just about to go to Mount Olympus-"

"I want to go!" Astoria declaired.

"What?" McGonagall and Percy said at the same time.

"I want to go with you guys! Please? Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Pretty please? With Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans on top?"

"Absolutely not."

But Percy looked at the girl. She had stood up to him, even though she knew that the odds were against her. And some Half-Bloods who were fighting were at young as eight or nine years old. He cleared his throat. "You do understand that this isn't a game, right?"

McGonagall looked horrified. "Wait-you are actually considering this?"

She nodded, ignoring the professor's comment. "Of course I do! I'm not _stupid_!" She really did want to help. She wanted to go on an adventure with them. She wanted to show the world what a Slytherin was capable of. "I want to fight," she repeated, fixing on McGonagall with a glare, "and you can't stop me!"

Percy smiled sheepishly, you had to give the girl some credit, she had guts. But he knew that it wasn't fair to walk her unknowingly to her death. "Look, Astoria, we appreciate it, we really do. But this is really dangerous. Like, you could die, kind of dangerous."

"I know," she said.

"You sure that you want to do this?"

"I'm sure."

"Well...I guess you could help. But you'll have sit out during the more dangerous battles-I don't want you getting hurt."

Astoria nodded. She would be allowed into the battles once Percy realized just how skilled she was.

"No!" McGonagall said, "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow this! It's too big of a risk!"

"But you let that Weasley girl come-and she's only a year older than me!" Astoria protested.

"Yes-but that's different."

"No, it's not!" Astoria stomped her foot like-well, like an eleven-year-old. "It's not fair!"

Percy looked at McGonagall. "I think it'd be okay. We'll be super careful."

"What? No!"

"I'm afraid this is no longer in your control," Percy said in his best adult voice. "For you see, I've been chosen to lead the army."

McGongall scowled and hissed at him like an angry cat. She waved her wand and lifted up the sleeping Draco Malfoy in his hospital bed. They both dissapeared with a loud CRACK!

Astoria grinned widely. She ma have not saved Draco, but she was going to be a part of something even better. Now she'd get to be a real hero. She couldn't wait to see the look on stupid Potter's face when he saw his knew college-this was the best day ever!


	39. Chapter 39

**Note: to answer one of my reviewer's questions, I am sorry but I am not planning on killing Draco Malfoy. If I do, I will probably have numerous death threats from Draco-lovers**

* * *

Percy was surprised to see not only a number of Half-Bloods at the Empire State Building, but also a number of wizards.

"Percy, this is Anthony Goldstein, Seamus Finnigan, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Penelope Clearwater, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchly, Lavender Brown, Parvati and Padma Patil, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, and these are my brothers Fred, George, and Percy," Ginny introduced him.

"Good name," Jackson commented.

They all seemed friendly enough, he decided. Then Percy recalled something in the back of his head that was irking him. he was told earlier this summer_, one of them is a spy_. He decided to push that thought out of his head for now. Percy decided to get this started.

"Okay," he said, "let's-where are the Ares campers?"

"Clarisse ordered them not to come."

"Is this still about the stupid chariot thing?" Percy groaned. He waved his hand dismissing it. "Whatever, anyways, thanks for coming. Chiron, after you," he motioned to the centaur.

But to Percy's surprise, he shook his head. "I came to wish you luck, my boy. But I make it a point never to visit Olympus unless I am summoned.

"But you're our leader!"

He smiled. "I am your trainer, you teacher. That is not the same as being your leader. I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother centaurs to help. Meanwhile, you called the campers here, Percy. You are the leader."

Astoria raised her hand. "This is nice and all, but can we rap up the touchy emotional moments and get a move on? I want to go to Olympus!"

"Actually," Percy said, "you won't be going to Olympus. Only Half-Bloods can go up there. Your job is too guard the building and make sure no one else comes near."

The wizards looked very upset and started complaining all at once.

"I'm sorry," Percy said, "but I don't make the rules. There's nothing I can do."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry stopped him. "Percy's right. We'll wait down here." Percy gave him a grateful smile.

Astoria made an extremely obnoxious noise, but said nothing else.

* * *

"This isn't fair!" Astoria whined. "They're making us wait out here forever!"

"Astoria," Ron said, "it's been only five minutes. Though i expect that wouldn't make much of a difference to you, you simple-minded Slytherin!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means!"

"Slytherins are far better than you stupid Gryffindors!"

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid?"

"You, stupid!"

Astoria pulled out her wand.

"Oh, how cute! you're going to fight me?"

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Ron was lifted into the air. "Hey!" he protested.

Astoria moved around her hand to swirl him around in the air.

"I think I'm going to vomit!" Ron complained.

Astoria let him down.

"You know, I didn't want to do this," said Ron, pulling out his own wand, "but you give me no choice..."

"Ron! Don't you dare!" Hermione cried. "Leave her alone!"

"Aw," Astoria said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "How cute. The mdblood's fallen for you, Weasel, congradulations!"

"Shut up!" both Hermione and Ron's cheeks turned red.

Hannah suddenly screamed.

"What is it? Can't you see that we're in the middle of a crisis here?" Ron demanded.

"They're not...moving," the Hufflepuff girl whispered.

"What do you mean? Who's-oh, Merlin! What happened?"

The muggle city that surrounded them was completely silent. Thousands of bodies lay motionless on the floor.

Luna Lovegood walked up to some random unknown dude lying on the ground and checked his pulse. "They're alive," she announced, "just sleeping. Hmm...I wonder why we weren't effected. It could have something to do with the regnads, I thought I saw some earlier..."

"I know you," Ron said, "you're Loony Lovegood!"

"Yes. My name is actually Luna though. I do not understand why people call me that, but you can if you want to."

"She's mad," Hermione said. "There's no other explantion; the girl's mad!"

Ron looked at Astoria. "She can't stand to hear the name of an animal she hasn't heard of-or anything for that matter."

"Ah."

"It's coming for us!" Neville cried.

Luna muttered some strange words.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Hermione demanded.

"It's an old magic spell that keeps evil monsters that make you go to sleep have no effect you."

"That's oddly specific," Anthony frowned.

"Well...yes, my mum taught me it. I know a few others as well. So I figured now would be a good time to say it. But it only works if you _believe_," Luna said in a sing-song voice.

Hermione was now angry. "And why should I_ believe _anything that you say?"

No sooner had she said this, Hermione collasped onto the ground beneath her. She was in a deep sleep. So had Michael, Terry, Percy (Weasley, not Jackson, who was currently up on Mount Olympus talking to Hermes), Susan, Penelope, and Ernie.

"See?" the twelve-year-old girl told them, "they didn't believe me. And now they are asleep."

Astoria stared at Lovegood with a mixture of horror and respect. This girl was tougher than she looked. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything. The regnad did."

"But how come we didn't fall asleep?" Dean asked, "we don't believe you, either."

"You may think that you don't, but deep down inside you know that you do. The others only fell asleep because they didn't believe me at all," she said this all like it was extremely obvious.


	40. Chapter 40

The blue lights in the sky has stopped, so at first Percy didn't understand what the problem was.

The other campers had gathered in a small park at the edge of the mountain. They were clustered at the guardrail, looking down at Manhattan. The railing was lined with those tourist binoculars, where you could deposit one golden drachma and see the city. Campers were using every single one.

He looked down at the city. Percy could see almost everything from there-the East River and the Hudson River carving the shape of Manhattan, the grid of streets, the lights of skyscrapers, the dark stretch of Central Park in the north. Everything looked normal, but something was wrong. Percy could feel it in his bones.

"I don't...hear anyting," Annabeth said.

That was the problem.

Even from this height, he should've heard the noise of the city-millions of people bustling around, thousands of cars and machines-the hum of a huge metropolis. You don't think about it when you live in New York, but it's always there. Even in the dead of night, New York is never silent.

But it was now.

He felt like his best friend had suddenly dropped dead.

"What did they do?" Percy's voice was tight and angry. "What did they do to my city?"

He pushed Michael Yew from the binoculars.

"Hey!" he protested, "I was using those!"

"Not anymore," Percy growled, "find a new pair."

"But everyone's using..." Michael's voice trailed off when he saw the dangerous glint in Percy's eyes. "Never mind," even he had enough sense to back off.

Looking through the binoculars, Percy realized that his worst fear had come true. In the streets below, traffic ha stopped. Pedestrians were lying on the sidewalks, or curled up in doorways. There was no sign of violence, no wrecks, nothing like that. It was as if all the people in New York City had simply decided to stop what they were doing and pass out.

"Oh gods," Percy breathed, "the wizards!"

* * *

The Half-Bloods rushed down into the elavator and to the front of the building to where they had left their British friends. Luckily, most of them were awake-quite a bit shaken up, but awake.

When Astoria Greengrass saw the demigods she didn't waste any time. She marched right up to Percy and said. "What happened? Unless this is national nap time for you Americans, I demand to know this instant-"

But Percy didn't wait for her to finnish. He remembered something from the Great Prophecy: _And watch the world in endless sleep._ The words echoed in his ears. "Morpheus, the god of dreams, has put the entire island to sleep. The invasion has started."

* * *

Trying to make the best of the situation, Anthony managed to congure up a couple of sleeping bags for them to sleep in.

"We usually aren't allowed to use magic outside of school," he explained, "but this is an emergency."

Mrs. O'Leary was the only one happy about sleeping the city. They found her pigging out at an overturned hot dog stand while the owner was curled up on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb.

Luna was petting the giant mastiff as if it were a Golden Retriever. When Percy came over she smiled at him. "She's lovely," Luna said, "does she have a name?"

"Yeah. Mrs. O'Leary."

"Hmm...interesting. These are...unusual pet, correct? How did you get her."

Percy was bummed out enough, he did not feel like going into the whole Quintus/Daedalus story, so he just said. "A friend gave her to me."

Mrs. O'Leary gave Luna a big slobbery kiss, and the girl giggled. Even Percy had to admit that he was impressed. He still got a little grossed out when she licked him, but the girl acted as if this was entirely normal.

He looked down at the ground, then he noticed something: the girl had no shoes on.

"Aren't your feet cold?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "A bit."

"Then why aren't you wearing shoes?"

"All of my shoes mysteriously dissapeared," then, is a whispering voice she added, "I suspect Nargles have something to do with it."

"What are..." Percy decided that it would be better not to ask. But he had a feeling that Nargles had nothing to do with this shoe mystery at all.

Luna seemed to sense his uncomfort and decided to change the subject. "Who is that?" she pointed to the van.

"Oh, that's Argus," PErcy told her.

"He hasn't said anything this entire time."

"Well, you see, since he's covered with eyes, I don't think he can speak," he laughed at her quizzical look. "I think he has eyes on his tongue."

"Does he have eyes on his feet?"

"I think so."

"Well then doesn't it hurt when he walks?"

"Hmm...I never really thought about that. I'll asked him."

"But he can't talk."

"Good point." Then Percy stood up and walked over to Argus. "You better get back to the camp," he told him, "guard it the best you can."

He pointed at Percy and raised his (many) eyebrows with a confused look.

"I'm staying."

Argus nodded, like this answer satisfied him. He looked at Annabeth and drew a circle in the air with his finger.

"Yes," Annabeth agreed, "it's time."

"Time for what?" asked Goldstein.

Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much standard issue-the same kind of round shield they always used in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty-which wasn't anywhere close to them.

"Whoa, " said Percy, "a video shield."

"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before-" she glanced at Silena. "Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the moon or sun, as long as natural light is touching it. Look."

Both wizards and demigods alike crowded around with great interest, as Annabeth concentrated with all her might. The image zoomed and spun at first, so Percy got motion sickness just watching it. They were in the Central Park Zoo (**an/: I've been there!**), then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.

"Whoa," Connor Stoll said. "Back up. Zoom in right there."

"What Annabeth asked nervously. "You see invaders?"

"No, right there-Dylan's Candy Bar." Connor grinned at his brother. Fred and George quick;y caught on too, and their faces lit up. "Dude, it's open. And_ everyone _is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Weasley twins rubbed their hands with anticipation.

"Connor!" Katie Gardner scolded. She sounded like her mother, Demeter. "This is serious. We are not going to loot a candy store in the middle of a war!"

Fred, George, Connor, and Travis pouted like sad little puppies. "We're not?"

"Oh, come on..." Fred protested.

"...Just a little bit...?"

"NO!" They all jumped back.

"I like these guys," Travis said.


	41. Chapter 41

**Blast: Thank you for reviewing. Yes, I am using direct quotes form TLO, but there will be plot twists and surprises that weren't in the book**

* * *

"Sorry," Connor muttered, not sounding very sorry at all.

Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.

"This will let us see what's going on across the city," said Annabeth. "Thank you, Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at the camp...someday."

Argus grunted. He gave them a look that clearly meant _Good luck, you're going to need it,_ then climbed back into the van and drove away.

Percy ordered Mrs. O'Leary to find Grover, and she bounded off.

Astoria grunted. "So that's the devil dog Malfoy's been talking about?" she shook her head, "wow. What a big baby!"

Pollux crouched next to a sleeping policeman. "I don't get it. Why didn't we fall asleep too?"

"This is a huge spell," Silena Beauregard explained, "the bigger the spell the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you've got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder."

"Does the same rule apply to wizards?" Seamus Finnigan wondered.

"Hmm...I'm not sure. Some of you stayed awake while others didn't. Was there anything that you guys did differently?"

Everyone glanced at Luna. "I said the spell to protect us from the regnad," she said proudly.

"What are-"

"-You don't want to know."

"Percy," Annabeth said, "you'd better see this."  
The bronze image showed Long Island Sound near La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speedboats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped in the night wind. The wizards had never seen that battle before, but it sent a shiver down their spines. For the first time it really dawned on them: they could die.

Percy seemed to notice this. "If you really want to, you can turn back."

But they shook their heads stubbornly. "We stand by our word."

* * *

Since Malfoy was still recovering from his injuries, the Slytherins decided that they needed a substitute seeker for their team, and were holding try-outs on the pitch.

The entire Slytherin quidditch team was there: Warrington, Bole, Bletchlety, Flint, Derrick, and Pucey. Flint looked at the list. "Next," he called.

After the try-outs, the team looked carefully at each player. They included, Urquhart, Montague, Vaisey, and many many more. In the end, they decided that Tracey Davis was by far the best out of the all of them. They broke the news to the others gently.

"You are all losers, except for Davis," Pucey announced.-And yes, for a Slytherin, that was gentle.

They were congradulating Tracey when Professor Snape showed up. He told them to get into the Slytherin Common Room this instant.

The teenagers looked at each other, wondering what they could've done wrong this time. Pucey and Flint eyed each other nervously, they were both thinking the same dreaded thought: had Snape found out about their plan to loot Malfoy's bed?

Luckily for them, that wasn't the case.

"Reguarding Ms. Greengrass," Daphne held her breath and looked up the Head of House expectantly. "She has been found and is unharmed," Daphne exhaled. "However, she has decided not to return to Hogwarts for the time being."

"Why?" Miles demanded.

"Silence, Mr. Bletchlety," Snape hissed, "the reason as to why her return to school has been delayed is because she has boldly decided to take part in the demigod war."

"She **_what_**?" they all said.

"Silence," Snape gave everybody his famous death-glare, though it was rarely used on Slytherins. "There is more," everybody leaned in to hear better. "The Ministry has been keeping this all very silent, none of you are even supposed to know this piece of information-though I figured you all had a right to."

"But why?" asked Belinda, "why are they keeping it a secret?"

"Because they don't want people to know that there are actually _good _Slytherins," retorted a fourth-year boy.

"That's not fair!" cried Emelda indignantly.

"No, it's not," agreed Nott, "they're all just cowards. All these lies they've been telling about us-if people found out that they were wrong it would make them look bad." He spat and kicked the wall angrily.

"Anyway," Professor Snape continued, "the official story is that she was attacked by a dragon and is currently in St. Mungo's."

Daphne stomped her foot. "How DARE they! My little sister, risking her life, and they're making her look like a...like a...a..."

"A weakling?"

"Yes!" Daphne broke down into tears.

Blaise looked at his mates with amusement. "And to think," he said, "that we thought she wouldn't amount to anything."

* * *

**Did I ever put a disclaimer in here? Well, if I didn't: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Harry Potter series. They belong to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan**


	42. Chapter 42

"All right," Percy said. "We're going to hold Manhattan."

Silena tugged at her armor. "Um, Percy, Manhattan is huge."

"We are going to hold it," he said stubbornly, "we have to."

He's right," Annabeth said. "The gods of the wind should keep Kronos away from Olympus by air, so they'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the island."

"They have boats," Michael Yew pointed out.

_Remeber the rivers_, Athena's advice replayed in Pery's head. "I'll take care of the boats."

Astoria frowned. "How?"

"Just leave it to me." Percy gave orders to the rest of the campers and wizards. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take the Apollo cabin and half Ravenclaws to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, you take your cabin and the Hufflepuffs to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Do whatever you have to do-grow poison ivy and thorn bushes, but keep them out of there! Conner, take half of the Hermes Cabin and a couple of Gryffindors to cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!"

"Aw!" both pairs of twins, along with most of the Hermes cabin whined.

You heard me! Selina, take the remaining Ravenclaws and the Aphrodite kids to Queens-Midtown Tunnel."

"Who do I go with?" Astoria asked quietly.

"How many bridges and tunnels do you Yanks have in this city?" demanded Ron.

They ignored him.

Selina squealed with delight.

"What do I get?" asked Astoria, in a slightly louder voice.

"Oh, my gods," one of her sisters said, "Fifth Avenue is_ so_ on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters like totally, hate the smell of Givenchy."

"No delays," he said. "Well...the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."

Six Aphrodite girls kissed him on the cheek. Ron flushed with anger.

"I want to go with them!" he declaired.

"Ew, gross!" said Drew, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Alright, enough!" Percy closed his eyes to concentrate. "The Holland Tunnel-"

"Oh, what do you know, there's _another_ tunnel," Ron muttered.

"Shut up. Jake, you and your bunk mates are in charge of that. Set traps, Greek Fire, whatever you got. -On second thought, Fred and George, you two help help out."

Jake grinned. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!"

The whole cabin roared in approval.

"What about _me_?" whined Astoria, losing her patience.

Once again, nobody seemed to hear her.

"59th Street Bridge, Clarisse-" Percy then remembered that Clarisse wasn't there. He groaned in annoyance.

Astoria stepped forward. "I'll-"

She was interrupted by Annabeth. "We'll take that," she said. "Malcom, Alyssia, you two take the Athena cabin. I'll go with Percy."

Someone in the back said, "no detour, you two!"

A bunch of the kids started giggling. Fred and George made kissy faces at them.

"Everyone should keep in touch with cell phones..."

"Uh, Percy? Most of us don't have cell phones."

"What? Oh, right." He walked over to a sleeping lady and pulled out her BlackBerry. "Now, you do," he tossed it to Selina.

"Cellular phones?" Ron asked. "Cool. My dad told me all about them. Did you know-"

"Nobody cares, Weasley!" said Astoria irritably. "Now what do I do?"

"Right, Astoria, you stay here and make sure that nobody-"

"Are you KIDDING me? You just don't want me to do anything because you think I'm too young!" she stomped her foot in anger. "It's not fair!"

Travis cleared his throat. "Um, if we find a really nice phone-"

"No, you can't keep it."

"Can I go with you?" asked Astoria suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, to do the river thing. I want to help."

Annabeth looked at her. "Sorry, Astoria. But we think it would be safer if you just..."

"I don't want to be _safe_!" she complained.

"Pardon me," Luna said, "but when I went here with my dad two summers ago to looked for the rare Difring bird, I seem to remember there being another tunnel."

"She's right," said Jake Mason, "you forgot Lincoln Tunnel."

Percy bit back a curse. He thought he was done for, until he heard a voice say. How about you leave that to us?"

He had never been happier to hear anyone in his life. A band of thirty adolescent girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They ranged from about the ages nine or ten to fifteen or sixteen. They all had swords on their sides, and some had bows and arrows with them. A pack of timber wolves milled around their feet, and many of the girls had hunting falcons on their arms.

Astoria and Luna both rushed over to pet the "dogs" without any caution whatsoever. And, oddly enough, the wolves did not attack them, if anything they seemed to enjoy the attention.

"Um...guys?" Percy said, "those aren't..."

"Oh, we know. But they're still so cute!"

"Ooookaaay then. Moving on, thank you guys so much."

"No problem," said Thalia grinning. "The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty."

* * *

**I'm Baaa-aaack! **

**What did you guys think of this new chapter? I really want to know. Please leave a review.**


	43. Chapter 43

"Wait here," Percy told Annabeth.

"Percy, you shouldn't go alone."

"Well, unless you can breathe underwater..."

She sighed. "You are _so _annoying sometimes."

"Like when I'm right? Trust me, I'll be fine. I've got the curse of Achilles now. I'm all invincible and stuff."

Annabeth didn't looked convinced. Who could blame her? "Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you. I mean, because we need you for the battle." There was a slight muffled sound in the sand dooms behind them. Annabeth turned back to Percy. "Did you hear that?"

"It's probably nothing. Anyway, I'll be back in a flash."

* * *

**A "Fash" later...**

"It worked," Percy told her. "The rivers are safe."

"YES!"

The two teens turned around, shocked to see Astoria Greengass jump out from behind a thick area in the dooms.

"ASTORIA?" they shouted.

She smirked. "That's my name; don't wear it out."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, from what my sister told me in muggle studies, there's this theory called 'evaluation' which is when-"

"Oh, shut up! You know we mean how did you find us?"

"Oh, that. Well it really wasn't all that hard. I got bored, so I decided to follow you guys and see what you were up to. Anyway, it wasn't that hard," she scoffed, then giggled. "with all your romantic talk it was easy."

"What do you mean 'romantic talk'."

"You know. Before you left, you told Annabeth to stay behind 'cause you didn't want her to get hurt. Then Annabeth says 'but I love you', and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Annabeth said. "There is something very wrong with this picture: first of all, I did not say 'I love you', I said, 'don't get killed'. There's a huge difference!"

"Yeah, but I could see you love for him in you eyes. Honestly, I half expected them to turn into hearts."

Annabeth looked like she was about to yell at Astoria some more, but thought better of it. Instead, she turned to Percy and said, "we'll deal with this later. Right now we've got other problems. Michael Yew just called. Another army is marching over the Williamsberg Bridge. The Apollo cabin needs help. And Percy, the monster leading the enemy...it's the Minotaur."

* * *

Ethan Nakamura fidgeted nervously with his eyes patch. Something was badly irking him. What if the Olympians won, after all? The thought at first seemed impossible, but the more he thought about it, the more Ethan realized that the possibility was not nearly as low as he had originally assumed. Ethan knew he couldn't let that happen, or his mother would never get a throne.

"Is something the matter?" a voice asked. Ethan jumped in surprise, snapping out of his daydream, he turned around to face a little girl sitting high up in a tree. The girl smiled down at him. "Hello," she said in a sing-song voice. "Are you a pirate?"

"What?" what else could you say to a question like that? Then it hit him. "Oh, you mean the eye patch?" she nodded and Ethan sighed. He really did not feel like going into the story at the moment. "It's a long story," he told her. For the first time he noticed she was holding a stick. Why-no wait a minute! Not a stick, a _wand_! She was one of those wizard-people.

The girl nodded, like she understood. She jumped out of the tree. Ethan was sure she would fall and break numerous bones in her body, but instead, she actuallt landed right on her feet, like a cat. She stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Luna Lovegood, but you can call me 'Loony'."

But Ethan refused to take it. _She's the enemy_, he thought. This whole thing was probably a trap! He eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

Luna smiled again. This girl was far too cheerful! "The others told me to stay at the Empire State Building and watch for regnad and nargles. It's a very important job, you know."

He nodded. "I'm sure," Nakamura said sarcastically.

Luna pulled out a magazine and began to read it upside down. Now, Ethan may have been dyslexic, but he was pretty sure you were supposed to read right side up. Yet, she seemed completely content reading it this way. He glanced at the cover. _The Quibbler_, it read (or at least he was pretty sure that's what it said). The author's first name was hard to make out, and the letters moving around constantly did not at all help. But he was able to read the last name "Lovegood", so it must be by one of her parents or relatives. Luna kept on reading, not taking note of the confused expression on the half-blood's face in front of her.

_She's mad_, the son of Nemesis concluded. _And completely oblivious. No wonder her friends didn't want her around. So they sent her off_. He could kill her right now, he realized. He pulled out his sword, Luna did not even flinch. Like Luke, his sword was made of mixed bronze, so it could kill both humans _and_ monsters. Plus he could give her a quick and painless death. It would be much more humane than any torturous method Kronos would use on her after the Titans won. So in a way, he was doing her a favor. Or even better yet, he could get her to surrender. If Luna was willing to betray her friends, they could certainly use her. Kronos would surely reward him for his actions, and he could get his mother a throne. This way, everybody wins!

Without rethinking his twisted logic, Ethan Nakamura took out his weapon and pounced on top of the twelve-year-old. He put the blade to her throat. "Surrender or die," he growled.


	44. Chapter 44

Astoria got along surprisingly well with Blackjack, much to Percy's dismay. Annabeth thought it would have been rather funny, if it wasn't for the fact that they were basically flying to their deaths.

"You wait here," said Percy, putting Astoria down in the Central Park Zoo.

"What? NO! That's not fair! You haven't let me do anything!"

"You got to come with me and Annabeth to the rivers."

"That's only because I followed you. Please, Jackson? I wanna see the giant bull-man!"

"No! Now, go wait there. Watch the seals or something."

Astoria wanted to cry, but refused to do so. Tears showed fear. Fear showed weakness. And despite being an outcast, she was still a Slytherin at heart. Astoria wouldn't dare show vulnerability if she could help it. Then he for sure wouldn't take her seriously. Why should he? She was an elven-year-old girl! True, some of the other Half-Bloods fighting were even younger, but they had had professional training and had seen monsters before. But still, it just wasn't fair.

Biting her quivering lip, Astoria nodded glumly. "Fine," she said, "I like seals better, anyway."

"We'll come back for you," Annabeth promised.

"_If _we survive," Percy added bitterly.

Annabeth slapped him and they were off, leaving Astoria, once again, feeling utterly helpless.

* * *

The seals were bouncing around in their cage, like they knew something was happening. Or perhaps they were just upset that they didn't get their lunch with the trainers asleep.

Astoria quickly got bored, and wandered off to see something else.

There was a tiger habitat nearby. A female laid in the enclosure, nursing two cubs. One was slightly bigger than the other. The bigger one was mostly feeding, while the smaller desperately tried to get a turn. But whenever it came close by, the other cub would hiss at it viciously, and swipe the smaller cub with its paw, even sometimes nipping at him.

Eventually, the smaller one gave up and laid down to take a nap on one of the heated rocks. But his brother pounced on him and forced him off the rock.

Now, truly upset, the little cub went into the farthest corner from its brother and laid down.

Astoria remembered all the times when Daphne bullied her into getting the better stuff, simply because she was older. It was no secret that the Greengrass' favored their eldest daughter. They spoiled Daphne with expensive treats and toys. They were so proud whenever her sister did something that it was unbelievable. But whenever Astoria tried to get their attention, they would simply ignore it. Her achievements seemed pity compared to whatever Daphne did. Whenever she went, she was always known as "Daphne's little sister". She was sick of that! Come to think of it, the reason why she had even tried to fight in this war was to prove that she could do something better than Daphne. To get her parents' attention. And even here with complete strangers, she was already an outcast. They didn't trust her with anything. She doubted it was only because of her age. All of the other kids- -Weasley in particular, had all right away casted her out simply because she was a Slytherin. And nobody, **nobody** liked a Slytherin.

* * *

"Surrender to what?" asked Luna mildly. There was no sign of fear in her voice-but rather confusion.

"To Kronos! You will do this or die!"

"Is there a third choice?"

"What? No!"

"Very well; please get on with it, then."

"You want me to kill you? Well...okay," he swung his sword, but missed. Ethan tried again, but still failed to even touch her. "Hold still," he commanded.

"I am still. Your hand is shaking."

Ethan looked. Sure enough, his hand was trembling wildly. "Okay," he sighed. "Let' do this, again." Luna nodded and laid perfectly still. Why wasn't she scared?

"I know you're not going to kill me," she said.

"What do you mean?" Ethan demanded furiously. "Of course I am!"

"No, you're not."

"And why do you say that?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You don't have to do this. You're not that kind of person."

"You don't know anything about me!" he cried. "I am Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis, and I do not take orders from_ little girls_!"

"I know that you're not a murderer."

"How?"

"Like I said: I can see it in your eyes. You're a good guy, Ethan."

Ethan laughed coldly. "Don't you see? There are no good and bad guys. This is war! I'm not doing this for love or righteousness. I'm doing this for revenge. Revenge that only Kronos can provide. Olympus will fall, and HE WILL RISE!"

Why do you want revenge on Olympus? What did they ever do to you?"

"This isn't about me, this is about my mother. Nemesis does not have a throne, simply because she is a minor goddess. Kronos will give her one. Just you wait!"

"But what if after he wins, Kronos doesn't keep his promise? What if he just destroys you after the war because you are of no use to him anymore? What if the whole throne thing was just to get you to join him?"

"That is a chance I am willing to take. The gods didn't give my mother a throne, and for that, they will pay!"

"Hmm..." Luna looked truly thoughtful. "I agree."

"Well, I don't-wait,_ what_?"

"I agree. Everyone should get some appreciation. It's not fair the way the gods treated your mum. Maybe you should tell Percy about it. I'm sure he would be happy to help."

Ethan snorted. "Yeah, right! Percy doesn't care at all about minor gods. Why would he? He's the freakin' son of Posiedon for crying out loud!"

"Well, I think..." but Luna never got to finnish her thought, because right then a huge dark shape soared over them.

"Luna!" Percy cried, "thank the gods I found you!" Blackjack gave him a look, "...or, Blackjack found you, anyway. I just killed the Minotaur and then he came flying out of nowhere, telling me that he saw you with-" he stopped short once he caught sight of Ethan. Percy jumped off the Pegasus. "Nakamura..." he growled.

"Jackson..." he growled back.

"Nakamura..."

"Jackson..."

"Lovegood!" Luna piped in randomly.

They both stopped to stare at her. "Luna, what are you doing?" Percy demanded. "RUN!"

"But Ethan-"

"I got him," Percy said, "just get on Blackjack. He knows where to go."

"NO!" Luna jumped on top of Ethan, knocking his down. She hugged him tight. "Don't hurt him! He's my friend!"

Than, who was just as surprised as Percy said, "I am **not** your friend!"

She looked at Percy and smiled. "He is. He just doesn't like to admit it."

"She's nuts!" Ethan said. "There's no other explanation! Completely nuts! Get this crazy girl off of me!"

"Luna, you don't have to..."

"Yes, I do, Percy! And I don't want you hurting him!"

Ethan desperately tried to pushed the girl off of him, but Luna had a tight grip. She clung to him like a magnet. "...Let...go..." he gritted his teeth, pushing with all him might.

It was then, of all times, when Percy recieved a phone call. The LCD display said he had a call from Finklestein and Associates-probably a a demigod calling on a borrowed cell phone. He had made it very clear that he didn't want any phone calls unless it was absolutely urgent. So, whoever was calling, there must have been an emergency.

"Look," he said, "now isn't really a great time..."

"Percy?" Silena Beauregard sounded like she had been crying. "The Plaza Hotel. You'd better come quick. It's...it's Annabeth."

Percy jumped on Blackjack, and flew near Luna (who was still on top of Ethan). He grabbed the poor girl by the shirt and flew up, while dragging her. Eventually, he was able to pull Luna onto the Pegasus' back with him, a feat he would never have been able to do before. The Curse of Achilles must've come with some sort of strength booster to it-that, or maybe it was just pure determination. Either way, Percy knew one thing for sure: he was going to see Annabeth, and he was going to see her **now**.

Percy looked back at Ethan, who was still appeared to be in shock. "This isn't over, Nakamura!" he called.

And they flew off.

* * *

**Review!**


	45. Chapter 45

"Percy!" Jake Mason greeted him when they reached the Plaza. He clapped a hand on Pery's shoulder. "We're getting reports-"

"Later," Percy told him. "Where's Annabeth?"

"The terrace. She's alive, man, but..."

Percy pushed past him.

"Wait! Where's that girl?"

"Luna? She's right there."

"No. The other one- -Astoria something."

Percy swore in Ancient Greek. "Jake, use Blackjack to go get her. She's at the Central Park Zoo. Got it? Good," he said without waiting for him to respond.

"But I-"

"Go. _Now_."

* * *

Percy rushed up to the terrace. Under different circumstances he would've loved the view. It look straight down onto Central Park. The morning was clear and bright-perfect for a picnic or a hike, or pretty much anything except fighting monsters.

Annabeth lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even though she was covered in blankets, she shivered.

"Ouch," Luna whispered. "That looks painful." And it did. The bleeding had stopped, but the gash looked deep. The skin around the cut was a horrible shade of green.

"Annabeth..." he chocked. In the battle she had taken the knife for him. How could he have let that happen?

"Poison on the dagger," she mumbled. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

"It's not so bad," Will Solace said.

"Yeah," Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw boy who was studying to be a healer, "a few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nector- -that's what you guys call it, right?"

Luna grabbed a canteen. And Will and Anthony cleaned out Annabeth's wound carefully with the godly drink.

"Ow," she said, "ow, ow!" She gripped Percy's hand so hard that his fingers turned purple, but she stayed still like Anthony had said. Will put some silver paste over the injury and hummed some words in Ancient Greek. Then he applied some fresh bandages and she stood up shakily.

"Wow," Anthony whistled, you have_ got_ to teach me that one!"

"That should do it," he said. "But we're gonna need some mortal supplies."

He grabbed a piece of hotel stationary, jotted down some notes, and handed it to one of the Athena guys. "There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would never steal, but-"

"I would," Travis volunteered.

Will glared at him. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat."

Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a demigod or wizard that hadn't been injured in some way-except for Percy.

"Come on, guys," Travis Stoll said. "Let's give Annabeth some space. We've got a drugstore to raid...I mean visit."

After they left Silena came in. She pressed a cool cloth to Annabeth's head. "This is all my fault," she said.

"No," Annabeth said weakly. "Silena, how is it your fault?"

"I've never been any good at camp," she murmured. "Not like you or Percy. If I was just a better fighter..."

Her mouth trembled. Ever since Beckendorf died she'd been getting worse, and every time Percy looked at her, it made him angry about him death all over again. Her expression reminded him of glass- -like it might break any minute. He swore to himself that if he ever found the spy that had cost her boyfriend his life, he would give him to Mr. O'Leary as a chew toy.

"You're a great camper," he told Silena, "you're the best pegasus rider we have. And you just have a way of getting along with people. Believe me, anyone who can make friends with Clarisse has talent."

She stared at him like he had just given her an idea. "That's it! We need the Ares' cabin. I can talk to Clarisse. I _know_ I can convince her to help us."

"Whoa, Silena. Even if you could get off the island, Clarisse is pretty stubborn. Once she gets angry-"

"Please," Silena said. "I can take a pegasus. I_ know_ I can make it back to the camp. Let me try."

Percy exchanged looks with Annabeth. She nodded slightly. He didn't like the idea. Silena didn't stand a chance of convincing Clarisse to fight. On the other hand, Silena was so distracted now that she would get herself hurt in battle- -or worse. Maybe sending her back to camp would give her something else to focus on.

"All right," he told her. "I can't think of anyone better to try."

Silena threw her arms around him. Then she pushed back awkwardly, glancing at Annabeth. "Um, sorry. Thank you, Percy. I won't let you down!"

And with that, she left.

"Can I, too?"

"AHH!" Percy jumped. Standing behind him was Astoria Greengrass.

"How did you get here?"

"Mrs, O'Leary. Duh! It's amazing how well that dog can hear. Anyway, so can I?"

"What are you saying?"

"I want to go get help, too."

"That's okay, you can help Will and Anthony with the injured. Besides, Silena-"

"Look, Jackson, you need help. We both know it. So why are you resisting so much?"

Percy sighed. She had a point, after all. Even with the wizards, they were still outnumbered. "What sort of help did you have in mind?"

Astoria smiled slyly. Why did he have the feeling he was going to regret this? "Let's just say...they can't say no to me..."

* * *

"So what do you think you got on the charms test, Daphne?" Nott asked.

The thirteen-year-old did not respond right away. In fact, she made no acknowledgement that she had even heard him. She continued to look out the window for god knows how long. Finally, she glanced in his direction and muttered. "I'm pretty sure an E."

"You still upset about Astoria?" Daphne nodded. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll tough it out. That girl's got nerves of steel, you know. I wouldn't be too worried if I were you."

Daphne flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks. Well, I'm going to bed. How about you?"

"Nah, I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Okay, good night."

"Night."

Once she was gone Theodore heard someone whistle behind him. "Not bad. I didn't think you had it in you."

"I can assure you I don't know what you're talking about."

Slowly, a smile played on Zabini's face. "Admit it, you fancy her!"

"I do not!" he protested indignantly. "I was merely making conversation. Is that a crime?"

"I was merely making conversation," Blaise mimicked his voice in an extremely annoying way.

"Believe me, I have better things to do than worry about girls."

"Don't lie to me, Nott, I saw that look in your eyes!"

But their conversation was cut short, because at that moment, Astoria Greengrass popped out of the fireplace. "Hi, hope I'm not interrupting. What did I miss?"

* * *

**The Slytherins will be playing a vital role in this plot. But we will see more of the Golden Trio. What did you think? Please review!**


	46. Chapter 46

"Astoria?" Nott asked incredulously.

"Oh, it's Astoria now, is it?" she arched an eyebrow. "How lovely." She made herself comfortable on the couch next to a petrified Zabini. Astoria propped her feet up on the stool. She then spotted something that caught her eye. "Do you mind?" she asked Blaise, gestering to a box of expensive-looking imported chocolates. "I haven't really eaten all day...well, unless you count half a bag of crisps that I took from some random sleeping lady. - - Did you know Americans call them potato chips? Anyway, long story short: I'm basically starving." Blaise, too shocked to answer her, said nothing, as you can probably imagine. So Astoria simply shrugged and helped herself (taking his silence as a yes) to a handful.

"What are you doing here?" asked Zabini, once able to talk again, "aren't you supposed to be off fighting some war in The States or something?"

She sighed. "I was..._am_. But I came back because I need a...a...I need a f-favor." It looked as if it pained her to say those words.

The boys burst out laughing. After all, who ever heard of a Slytherin doing a _favor_?

"Wait," Blaise Zabini said, "I think she's serious."

Theodore snorted. "No, she's not - -"

"I thought you were Nott."

"Shut up. But I'm positive that she isn't serious," he turned to Astoria, "right?"

Astoria smirked. "Oh, she's serious alright. Dead serious."

"I told you so!"

"Look, Greengrass, do you really expect us to do you a favor? Come on, surely you're smarter than that. You don't honestly believe we're going to go out into the middle of nowhere and fight some stupid that is none of our business whatsoever at all. Which, consequently, we might be killed in the process of doing? No, absolutely not," Blaise opened his mouth, "- - and not one word, Zabini! I refuse to put my life on the line - - especially for a bunch of filthy muggles!"

Then something hit Astoria. She had been fighting alongside muggles the entire time, hadn't she? Or, at least partially muggles. Since they were half god. But the people she was fighting to save were ALL muggle. The same muggles that her very House banned anyone from associating with. The same muggles that her grandfather would kill for fun. Her parents didn't belive in killing muggles - -but they still didn't_ like_ them. Astoria suddenly felt a burst of anger wash over her. The muggles she had fought with treated her no worse that the wizards - -no, they treated her _better_. And for once, she wasn't simply known as Daphne's little sister. After all, Harry Potter had grown up with muggles that he said had treated him horribly. So surely they must not be _that_ bad. Nott had probably never even met a muggle in his life, yet he still had the nerve to insult them? "Why? Why do you hate muggles so much? What did they ever do to you?"

The boys couldn't believe this. Had she just actually _challenged_ them? The nerve of her! They couldn't back down now, though. It would make them look like complete fools!

"They're...different from us..." Zabini started.

"Okay, is that all you got? You hate them because they're different?" she looked Zabini up and down. She had to make thing personal, or else he would never drop it. He was black, so... "Well, people once mistreated Jews simply because they were different. Look at Anthony Goldstein, he's brilliant, and is one of the few people to treat us fairly. People also mistreated _blacks_ because they were different? Does that make it right?" THAT got his attention. She was on a role here! "And also technically speaking, there are more of them than there are of us. So doesn't that make **us** the odd ones?"

"Fine," Theodore said, "well, what about when they burned and beat us?"

"That was only some of them. And it was, like, a bajillion years ago. Get over it, people!"

"I refuse to have such a petty conversation with a mere child!" Nott cried.

"I'm less than two years younger than you! I'm no more of a child than you are!"

Blaise groaned in annoyance. He had had enough of this. "Why don't you just ask Daphne to help you or something?"

Astoria was on him in an instant. "Daphne? DAPHNE! Is that all you ever talk about? Daphne, Daphne, Daphne!"

"Um...so I'm guessing that's a no?"

"Duh! Why would I want Daphne to come, anyway? She'll ruin everything. She always does."

Suddenly, they heard a female voice call from upstairs. "Hello? Astoria? Is that you? Astoria!"

_Speaking of the devil_, she thought. "Daphne's coming! She can't know I'm here! Please guys, just bail me out this once. I-I'll find a way back to repay you, I promise." the footsteps grew louder and closer. "No time! I was never here!"

"Astor - -" but she had crawled under the sofa. And just in time.

"Astoria?" Daphne reached the common room, she was glowing with joy. She glanced at the boys, seeming to notice them for the first time. "Oh. Hi, Zabini, Theodore."

Blaise looked in the other boy's direction. "Theodore? On a first name basis now, I see," he whispered.

Nott turned bright red. "Shut up!" he snapped a little too loudly.

Daphne looked hurt. "What?"

"No, not you."

"Anyway, have either of you two seen Astoria?"

It was lucky that Slytherins were good liars. Besides, if Daphne found out her sister was in the room, there would probably be big mushy moment, which was the very _last_ thing they needed.

"Astoria? Like, your sister, Astoria? What about her?"

"I...I could've sworn I heard her voice. Are you** sure **you haven't seen her?"

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"Oh," Daphne looked so disappointed, Nott was worried she might start crying. That would be very annoying. But, luckily, she didn't. "Well, thanks anyway," she turned around about to head up the stairs.

"Daphne, wait!" Nott called. "Astoria..."

Astoria held her breath. Surely he wouldn't give her away...

"Astoria wouldn't want you to worry. I have feeling that she's just fine. Like I said before, she's real tough, for a first-year, anyway."

Daphne started to cry. "I just don't want her to get hurt. I would never be able to live with myself."

Astoria was shocked. She had alway thought that Daphne hated her. But she really did care. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty - - though, not nearly enough to confess.

Daphne then did the very last thing anyone expected. She threw her arms around Nott, bawling like a baby. "Thanks, Theodore. You're a great friend."

It was the first real hug Nott had had in years. His mother died when he was only two-years-old, and his father was never much of the hugging-type.

Later on, he would find this moment awkward, disturbing, uncomfortable, embarrassing, and just downright creepy. But for the moment, he wasn't thinking about how he wasn't really friends with her, or how Zabini would never let him live this down. For that one moment, he actually allowed himself to enjoy it.

"Aw, great," Blaise muttered. "There was a big mushy moment, after all."

* * *

**Aw! So sweet! *Wipes away tear* **

**Just so you people know, a boy and a girl can be friends. So not everything about a boy and girl getting along means they're in love.**

**This story is taking an interesting turn. Which is making me think. Should I do a sequel, or just make this one really long story? Please let me know in your reviews. **

**~The QAS out **


	47. Chapter 47

**So something went wrong and the website wouldn't let me post another chapter or even edit my old ones for A New Twist. I wrote the site, and I guessed they fixed it. I'm so happy! Yay! *Does happy dance* Anyway, here's the next chapter, things are really heating up!**

* * *

After Daphne left (and several minutes of Zabini taunting Nott,) Astoria decided to press the matter. "To answer your question: no. I do not expect you to come willingly into a battle across seas where the chances of you dying are possible - - even probable. You will come because you have no other choice."

"Explain."

Astoria smiled so wickedly that it would make even Voldemort cower under his bed in fear. "Zabini, your family is fairly wealthy, am I correct?"

"Yeah? So what? Most Slytherins are."

"An interesting story of how you got so rich, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" but Blaise looked nervous.

"I'm talking about all of those rich men your mother married. One after another. Six or seven of them I believe. Each other vanished mysteriously, leaving your mum with a large amount of money. A fascinating tale, don't you think?"

By the look of fear in Blaise's eyes, she knew that her plan was working. That was the thing about Slytherins: they rarely bothered to help anyone unless there was something in it for them. That left two choices: bribery or blackmail. Astoria chose the second.

Blaise was indeed, shocked. How could she possibly know that?

"...And Nott. You seem to spend quite a bit of your leisure time reading?"

Nott shrugged. "So what? I like to read."

"Nerd," Blaise muttered.

Astoria's smile only grew wider. "But the book you read...they aren't from the Hogwarts library, now are they?"

Nott was clever enough to see what was coming. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable. He knew this would happen sooner or later. "No, not all of them."

"I would assume so. The school usually doesn't allow dark arts books in the castle."

The boys had to admit, besides their strong urge to strangle her. While at the same time, they had a slight grudging respect for her. She knew what she was saying; that much was certain.

"You're blackmailing us!" Zabini accused.

"Yep. And it looks like it's working!"

"I'm still not going!" Nott declaired. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

Astoria sighed. She wrote something down on a slip of parchment and handed it to him. Blaise tried to read it, but Theodore blocked his view. After he read it, Nott threw the note into the fire and stared at Astoria, wide-eyed and pale (though he always was pale.) "You're serious?" he whispered.

"I mean it."

Slowly, he nodded. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Excellent. But we'll need more help. Hmm...Blaise, which dorm do you sleep in, again?"

"What do you have in mind? Malfoy's still in the hospital. He was stabbed pretty badly. They're actually considering taking him to St. Mungo's."

"Ouch. But not what I was thinking. What were those two goons Malfoy had? Crabbe and...what's-his-name...?"

"Astoria, are you mad? They'll pumble you to pieces!"

"Is 'pumble' even a word?" she asked. "Anyway, I know I can convince them. Zabini, give me your box of chocolates."

"They won't listen."

"Oh yes they will. With Malfoy all injured and stuff they need someone to follow. Their tiny brains can't handle being on their own. And if there's food in it for them, they'll for sure follow through."

* * *

"Wake up," Astoria whispered. "Come on, wakey, wakey."_ I must be mad_, she thought to herself. When Goyal's eyes opened, it was confirmed. "Oh, yeah. Definitely mad," she whispered to herself.

"Hi," she said meekly.

The thirteen-year-old boy sat up. "Wha-how did a girl get in here?"

Astoria squealed as he raised is large fist, and ran out of the room, closing the door behind her. "On second thought," she said, "where do the fifth-year boys sleep again?"

* * *

Adrian Pucey was far easier to convince. He was a lot nicer than most Slytherins, and actually seemed almost eager to help.

"...Well, I suppose I might as well. Plus, it's an excuse to get out of my transfiguration test tomorrow."

However, the three of his roommates, Higgs, Warrington, and Bletchley, woke up, demanding to know what was happening..

It took a while, but Pucey managed to convince Warrington not to tell. While, Miles Bletchley decided to join them.

They were about to leave when Higgs interrupted them, "wait," he said, "I want to come with you, too."

They all jumped, having forgotten he was there. Terence was usually fairly quiet. In fact, Astoria couldn't rember the last time she heard him speak. "You do?"

"Yeah, I'd like to give Potter a piece of my mind."

Pucey rolled his eyes. In Potter's first year, before Malfoy was on the quidditch team, Terence Higgs used to be the Slytherin seeker. He was nice enough, as long as you were a pureblood. But he never did forgive Potter for costing him the game, or Malfoy for stealing his spot on the team just because his dad brought everyone new brooms. He wanted to show Potter that he was better than him (and he also had that test in transfiguration the next day.)

Astoria couldn't believe her luck. She had gotten five Slytherins to come along almost effortlessly. She felt so in control. The others didn't know where they were going, only she did, which meant that they had no choice but to follow her. She was their leader. She, Astoria Greengrass.

They tiptoed down to the common room, thinking they had made it, when a silky voice behing them said, "and just where do you think you're going?"

It was Professor Snape.

* * *

**Blast: You misread it, it said that we WILL be seeing more of the Golden Trio. Not sure when, but we will.**

**Please review**


	48. Chapter 48

**twitch'pjofan95: Thank you so much for the review! I started this story when I was only eleven and my writing has improved a lot since then.**

**And thank you RuuunItsJasmine and pulchra fabula **

**(Sometimes I take the time to thank my reviewers, sometimes I don't. Please don't take it personally, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate your review, it just means I was feeling lazy that day)**

* * *

"You," Snape said to Astoria, "aren't you supposed to be off fighting in America?"

Astoria looked down at the ground. She didn't know why she felt ashamed. It was just something about the professor's voice that always gave her the shivers. She felt like she was going to cry. True, Snape did like the Slytherins a whole lot better than any other house, but she was still scared of him. And the fact that it was well past midnight did not at all help the situation, creepyness-wise.

"We're going with her," Pucey declared.

"Snape's eyes widened, but he did not raise his voice. "You will do no such thing," he hissed.

"Yes, we will!" cried Nott.

"We're tired of Potter getting all the credit," Zabini added.

"Come on, Professor," Miles tried to reason with the potions teacher, "you **hate** Harry Potter. This will be a great chance to crush him. If we go, we can prove that Slytherins aren't all evil. We can prove that we can be heros! We'll be just as good-"

"Better!" Higgs said.

"Right, even better than those stupid Gryffindors! At least let us try."

Snape hesitated. He was tired of people calling his house evil, and these kids wanted to prove that they weren't. _Lily knew you weren't evil_, he thought. Snape took a deep breath. "Very well, I will say nothing."

The children couldn't believe their luck. But they certainly weren't going to stand around and wait for him to change his mind.

"Come on!" Astoria called, "we can use Dumbledore's fireplace!"

* * *

"What were you thinking?"

Silena tried to swallow, but her lips were dry and cracked. "Wouldn't . . . listen. Cabin would . . . only follow you."

"So you stole my armor," Clarisse said in disbelief. "You waited until Chris and I went out on patrol; you stole my armor and pretended to be me." She glared at her siblings. "And NONE of you noticed?"

The Ares campers developed a sudden interest in their combat boots.

"Don't blame them," Silena said. "They wanted to . . . to believe I was you."

"You _stupid_ Aphrodite girl," Clarisse sobbed. "You charged a drakon. _Why?_"

"All my fault," Silena said, a tear streaking the side of her face. "The drakon, Charlie's death . . . camp endangered - - "

"Stop it!" Clarisse said. "That's not true!"

"We should get Nector," Anthony said. "I can run - - "

"No," Silena told him. "I don't deserve to live," she added quietly."

"Silena, shut up! You don't know what you're saying!"

Silena opened her hand. In her palm was a silver bracelet with a scythe charm, the mark of Kronos.

"You were the spy," whispered Percy in awe."

Silena tried to nod.

"No! NOOO!" Ron cried. "It can't be you! You were so pretty, and nice, and . . . a-and pretty . . . "

Everyone stared at him, and Ron turned bright red (to match his hair).

"Before . . . before I liked Charlie, Luke was nice to me. He was so . . . charming. Handsome. Later, I wanted to stop helping him, but he threatened to tell. He promised . . . he promised I was saving lives. Fewer people would get hurt. He told me he wouldn't hurt . . . Charlie. He lied to me."

Percy met Annabeth's eyes. Her face was chalky. She looked like someone had just yanked the world out from under her feet.

Behind them, the battle raged.

Clarisse scowled at her cabinmates. "Go help the centaurs. Protect the doors. GO!"

They scrambled off to join the fight.

Silena took a heavy, painful breath. "Forgive me."

"You're not dying," Clarisse insisted.

"Charlie . . . " Silena's eyes were a million miles away. ". . . See Charlie . . . "

She did not speak again.

Clarisse held her and wept, Chris put his hand on her shoulder.

Ron just stared blankly at her body. He did not move even a fraction of an inch.

Finally Annabeth closed Silena's eyes.

"We have to fight." Annabeth's voice was brittle. "She gave her life to help us. We have to honor her."

Clarisse sniffled and wiped her nose. "She was a hero, understand? A hero."

Percy nodded. "Come on, Clarisse."

She picked up a sword from one of her fallen siblings. "Kronos is going to pay."

"Let's go."

Chris, Clarisse, Percy, and Annabeth all stood up to leave. Only Ron stayed put.

"Come on, Ron," said Annabeth. "I know it's hard but you have to come."

Ron, however, did not move. He continued to look at Silena's body, as if waiting for her to come back. His eyes filled with tears.

"Ron, get up!" Percy ordered, now losing his patience.

Ron did not get up.

"Let him stay for little while, Percy," Annabeth whispered. "Let's give him some space."

Percy looked annoyed, but reluctantly agreed.

Ron didn't seem to notice that they left. If he did, he did not acknowledge the fact at all. Her sat there sobbing. He didn't know why he was so upset. He had hardly known Silena. She had been Beckendorf's girlfriend, not his (no matter how much he wished it were true). He had never felt this way about a girl before. When Silena died, it was almost as if a part of him had died as well.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," said the smug voice of Blaise Zabini. "What's the matter, Weasel? You're so ugly that you killed your own girlfriend?"

* * *

**Aw, poor Silena. Poor Ron. **

**Please review!**


	49. Chapter 49

**darklilyofthevalley: thank you for reviewing. I feel bad for Ron, too.**

**Slytherin in the sky: Yep, Slytherins are awesome!**

**Blast: Come to think of it, Hufflepuff does sound a bit like a pillow brand. I can't exactly put my finger on it, though . . .**

* * *

Blaise could not have picked a worse time to insult Ron.

Ron flushed with anger. He had never felt so protective of anyone before in his life. He wasn't interested in why Blaise was there, or how in Hades' name he got there, he wanted revenge. How DARE he insult the beautiful Silena?

Ron stood up, and for the first time noticed that there were six Slytherins in all. Other than Blaise there was Miles Bletchley, Terence Higgs, Theodore Nott, Adrian Pucey, and who appeared to be their leader, Astoria Greengrass. But Ron didn't care. He'd take down a whole army of Death Eaters. He was angry. - - No, he was more than angry; he was absolutely _furious_! There were no words to describe it.

"Hey, Zabini?" Nott whispered, "I don't think Weasley looks too happy about that comment."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Well, _duh_! That was kind of the point! And I thought you were supposed to be _smart_!"

"No, I mean, he looks like he's ready to attack you."

"Oh, please! That wimp doesn't have the guts!"

Just as he said those words, Ron Weasley pounced on the Slytherin. Catching him by surprise, Zabini didn't have a chance to fight back, and before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground! Ron grabbed his shirt collar, "don't you dare insult Silena," he hissed.

He couldn't back down now. It would make him look weak. "Ah, so her name is Silena...OW!" Ron punched him in the face. "What is your problem?" he demanded.

Nott walked over to the limp body and studied it.

"DON'T!" Ron screamed, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Theodore rolled his eyes and continued to looked. He gasped. "Um...Zabini?" he said, "I think she's actually dead."

Blaise snorted. "No, she's not. She just probably fainted because of Weasel's ugliness."

"Okay, that doesn't even make sense! But seriously, the girl's not breathing."

"Stop trying to scare me, it's not working."

"SHE IS DEAD, YOU IDIOT!" cried Ron.

"Oh." Well, how was he supposed to know that? He had passed thousands of sleeping bodies on the way there, why should he have assumed this one was any different? No wonder Weasley was upset. He couldn't help but feel a little bad. Not enough to apologize, of course...

"Hey, where are the others?"

* * *

"Percy, I got help!" Astoria declared proudly, "Anyway, this is Bletchley, Higgs, Pucey, and . . . . Hey, where are Nott and Zabini?"

* * *

"Ethan!"

"AHH!" the eye-patched boy jumped about four feet in the air. "Luna, what are you doing here?" he hissed, "this is New Jersey! You're not supposed to be here! Why are you at the Titan Base Camp?"

Luna shrugged. "I got bored. So I came by for a visit."

"LUNA! Do you realize that if they find you in here they'll kill you?" Ethan didn't like the girl, but he certainly didn't want her to die!

Luna shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"You have to leave, now. Before - - "

"NAKAMURA!" a voice called.

"Oh no."

"Who's that?" Luna whispered.

"It's Luke - - I mean Kronos - - I mean Luke inside of Kronos - - I mean Kronos inside Luke's body - - I mean . . . um . . . I got nothing."

"Nakamura, open this door!"

"Quick, there's no time! Uh . . . " Ethan shoved Luna underneath his bed. He splashed some water on his head and ran to the door. "Sorry, Master. I was taking a shower."

Kronos looked over him, as if deciding whether or not he was lying. Luckily for Ethan, he brought it. "Very well," said the Titan-Lord-in-a-boy's-body. "We are advancing towards Olympus. It is time. Are you ready to make yourself useful?"

_"You don't have to do this. You're not that kind of person"_, Luna's words echoed in his head. "What the - - " did he just say that out loud? Ethan cleared his throat. "I mean, it would be an honor to be able to assist you in taking down Olympus."

"Good. Be ready in ten minutes."

"Will do, my Lord."

_"But what if after he wins, Kronos doesn't keep his promise? What if he just destroys you after the war because you are of no use to him anymore? What if the whole throne thing was just to get you to join him?" _

Kronos/Luke turned to leave. "Wait!" said Ethan.

The Titan Lord turned around. What?" he demanded impatiently.

"I . . . um . . . was just wondering if you remembered about the promise to give my mother a throne."

Kronos hesitated. Slowly, an evil smirk appeared on his face. "Of course, my dear boy. I would never forget. Now get ready!"

The voice came again. _"I know that you're not a murderer." _

"Oh, shut up!" Ethan cried.

Kronos turned, his golden eyes burning with fiery. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"No, no. Not you. Never you, my Lord. It was the voice inside my head. I-I me-mean . . . um . . ."

"You are lucky that I am in a good mood, Half-Blood," he growled.

Ethan nodded. "I don't know what got into me, Sir. It will never happen again."

"It better not." And with that, he left.

Ethan sighed in relief, as he pulled out Luna from under the bed.

"You have a very nice bed," she told him.

"Umm . . . thanks?" was that a compliment?

"You're welcome. By the way, thank you for saving me."

"Well, what are friends for?" Luna's mouth stretched to wide grin as Ethan realized what he had just said. "Did I just say, friends?" Luna nodded happily. "No! That's-that's not what I meant - - "

"It's okay," said Luna, "I won't tell anybody."

"By the way, how _did_ you find our hideout?"

"Oh," Luna pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. "You left this behind. It's a map of your hideout. I thought you might want it back."

"You didn't tell Percy?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because you are."

What in Hades' name was wrong with this girl?

* * *

**Who wants to know what promise Astoria made Nott to get him to come? Should I put it in the next chapter, or the one after that? **

**Anyway, please review!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Dancing Trees: Yes, the last few sentences were meant to be confusing, you it's mainly because Luna's a little spacey, although I might make it have a point later on (still not sure), thank you for reviewing!**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar, 2coolwriter, and glistening moon: Here you go!**

**Blast: No, he is just impulsive and really hates Ron**

**citgirl: you'll see**

* * *

Ron wrestled with the two Slytherins for what seemed like forever. And none of them were ready to give up any time soon.

"Stop!" Nott cried suddenly.

"What?" Weasley and Zabini demanded.

" . . . Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Come on!" Theodore ran off.

"Hey, Nott! Wait! Nott, wait up!" Blaise ran after him.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere!" Ron growled, running after them.

* * *

"YOU!" Annabeth turned to Luke. "To think that I . . . that I thought - - "

She drew her knife.

"Wait, what's going on?" Zabini asked Nott.

The other boy shrugged. "I don't know, I just got here."

Percy looked utterly horrified. "Annabeth, don't." hr tried to take her arm, but she shook him off.

She attacked Kronos, and his smug smile faded. Perhaps some part of Luke remembered that he used to like this girl, used to take care of her when she was little. She plunged her knife between the straps of his armor, right at his collar bone. The blade should've sunk into his chest, but instead it bounced right off.

"Is that normal?" whispered Astoria.

Annabeth doubled over, clearly in pain. She clutched her arm to her stomach. The jolt might have been enough to dislocate her bad shoulder.

Percy yanked her back as Kronos swung his scythe, slicing the air where she'd been standing.

She fought Percy and screamed. "I HATE you!" he wasn't sure if she was talking about him, Luke, or Kronos. Tears streaked the dust on her face.

"I have to fight him," he told her.

"It's my fight too, Percy!"

Kronos laughed. "So much spirit. I can see why Luke wanted to spare you. Unfortunately, that won't be possible."

He raised his scythe. Percy got ready to defend, but before Kronos could strike, a dog's howl pierced the air somewhere behind the Titan's army. "Arrooooo!"

"Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Who?" asked Nott.

The enemy forced stirred uneasily. Then the strangest thing happened. They began to part, clearing a path through like something behind them was forcing them to.

Soon there was a free aisle down the center of Fifth Avenue. Standing at the end of the block was a giant dog and a smill figure in black armor.

"Nico?" asked Percy in awe.

"Nico?" Astoria said, "as in: Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades?"

"Yeah, why?"

Astoria just stared. This couldn't be him. It just couldn't be. He didn't look much older than her. She could probably beat him up herself.

"ROWWF!" Mrs. O'Leary called, bounding foward. She ignored the growling monsters on either side. Nico strode forward. The enemy fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did.

Through the face of his helmet, he smiled. "I got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"

"Son of Hades," Kronos spit on the ground, "do you love death so much you wish to experiance it?"

"Your death," Nico retorted, "would be great for me."

Astoria took it back. This kid was tough.

"I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live."

Nico drew his sword. "I don't agree."

It wasn't just any sword he had raised. It was Stygian iron, three feet of wicked sharp metal. It had some sort of odd glow to it. Most people took a step back.

The ground rumbled. Cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, the sides of buildings. Skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. There were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up. Yep, this was the son of Hades, all right!

"Cool," Blaise whispered.

"HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Kronos demanded. "The dead are no match for us."

Just as he said those words, the sky turned dark and cold. Shadows thickened. A harsh war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords and spears, and enormous chariot roared down Fifth Avenue. It came to a stop next to Nico. The horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. The chariot was inlaid with obsian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. Holding the reins was Hades himself, Lord of the Dead, with Demeter and Persephone riding behind him.

Neville fainted.

Hades smiled coldly. "Hello, father," he said, "your looking . . . _young_."

"Hades," Kronos growled. "I hope you and your ladies have come pledge your allegiance."

"I'm afraid not." Hades sighed. "My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glanced with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain _upstart_ demigods . . . and idiotic wizards - - "

"Hey!" Harry protested.

"It would not due for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing that we agree on, it's that you were a TERRIBLE father!"

"Harsh," Astoria whispered.

"He ate his children alive," Percy pointed out.

"Gross," Astoria said.

"Awesome," said Blaise.

Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade edged with silver. "Now fight me! For today the House of Hades will be called the saviors of Olympus."

"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled.

He struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating Kronos' vanguard and Percy's team from the bulk of two armies.

"He's sealing us in," Thalia whispered. "He's collapsing the magic barriers around Manhattan - - cutting off just the building and us."

"Hey, no fair!" Astoria whined, "you cheated!"

Kronos turned. An amused smile played on his face. "Life isn't fair," he said.

Pedestrians began to wake up everywhere. "What's going on?" Hermione demanded, getting up. "And why are there Slytherins everywhere?"

They were distracted by a loud voice saying, "ATTACK!"

* * *

**Wow, I finally got this chapter done. I had trouble looking for a good stopping place, so sorry if it seems to end a little suddenly. **

**I apologize for not being able to put Astoria's promise in this chapter, but I'm still thinking of a way to put it in. It will probably be in the next chapter. **

**I know it's annoying when authors always tell you to review, but . . . REVIEW!**


	51. Chapter 51

**twitch'pjofan95: Hmm . . . I never really thought about it to be honest. I think Luthan sounds better, although I'm not planning on having them be any more than just friends. Besides, he's like five years older than her! But nothing is offical yet!**

**Blast and darklilyofthevalley: Thanks so much! **

**glistening moon: Yeah, I like him, too. He's an interesting character. Even if he is seldom mentioned in the series.**

* * *

The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan's monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos! Mortals screamed an ran for cover. Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers. The Weasley and Stoll twins along with Blaise Zabini, planted firecrackers and dungbombs near the enemies' feet. The wizards who had just gotten up were trying to figure out what was going on. Ginny, Harry, Astoria, and Nico were trying to protect innocent pedestrians the best they could. The Apollo kid and Athony Goldstein ran around, healing anyone who needed it. For the first time in what may have been forever, Slytherins worked together with other Houses. But even with their talent and cooperation, they were still hardly a match for Kronos' army.

"This is madness!" Astoria cried. "This - - this is _crazy_!"

"No," said Thalia, "this is **SPARTA**!"

"I thought it was New York."

"It's from a movie."

"A what?"

"Never mind," she said irritably. (**an:/ that was for you, Blast!**)

"Nakamure," Kronos said. "Attend me. Giants - - deal with them." He ducked into the lobby.

"Ethan, DON'T!" Luna cried, "don't trust him!"

For several seconds, Percy just stood there, dumbstruck. He had been expecting a fight, but Kronos just ignored him like he wasn't worth his time. He didn't know why, but it made him mad.

The first Hyperborean giant smashed at him with his club. Percy rolled between the legs and stabbed Riptide into his backside. He shattered into a pile of ice shards. The second giant breathed frost at Annabeth, who was barely able to stand, but Grover pulled her out of the way while Thalia sliced her hunting knives across his monstrous blue neck. The world's largest headless ice sculpture.

Percy glanced outside the magic barrier, Nico was fighting his way towards his mom and Paul, but they weren't waiting for help. Paul had grabbed a sword from a fallen hero and did a pretty fine job keeping a dracaena busy. He stabbed her in the gut and she disintegrated. Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and several Slytherin boys watched him contently. Then they charged at monsters, copying what he had done. And soon there were several piles of golden sand.

"Sweet," Zabini whispered.

"Not bad," Paul said. He turned towards Percy and grinned. "I hope that was a monster I just killed. I was a Shakespearian actor in college! Picked up a little swordplay!"

"He was awesome!" Seamus said, "you should've seen him before! He took down like six of those snake-thingys!"

Percy liked Paul even better for that. He was WAY better than Gabe, that was for sure. But then a Laistrygonian charged at his mom. She was rummaging around an abandoned police car - - maybe looking for the emergency radio - - and her back was turned.

"Hold on!" Adrian Pucey charged at the monster before Percy could, and swung his sword - - but missed. Then the monster tuned on him. "Uh oh," he whispered.

It was then Sally Jackson to the rescue! She whirled around when the monster was on top of Pucey. She was holding something in her hands that Percy thought was an umbrella until she cranked the pump and the shotgun blast blew the giant twenty feet or so backwards until he landed on Nico's sword.

"Whoa!" said Dean, Seamus, Miles, Adrian, Blaise, and Theodore simultaneously.

"Nice one," Paul said.

Pucey looked embarrassed. He blushed. "Um . . . thanks," he said to Mrs. Jackson, forcing an awkward smile on his face.

"When did you learn to fire a shotgun?" Percy demanded.

"About two seconds ago, now GO!"

"Yes," Nico agreed, "we'll handle the monsters. Go find Kronos!"

"Yeah, let him do the fun stuff," muttered Nott.

But Percy had left.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth called. He nodded. Then looked at the rubble pile. He had forgotten about Chiron! How could he have done that?

"Mrs. O'Leary he said, "Chiron's under there. If anyone can dig him out, you can. Find him! Help him!" he wasn't sure if she understood, but she bounded straight for the rubble.

He, Thalia, Grover, and Annabeth, raced for the elevators.

"Wait!" Someone called. The figure of a girl was running towards them. It was Luna Lovegood. "I'm coming, too."

"You can't," Annabeth said, "only gods and Half-Bloods can be on Olympus."

There were tears in Luna's eyes. "Please make some sort of exception. Please. Ethan's up there. Something bad is going to happen to him, I just know it!"

"I can't do that. I'm sorry."

She thought hard about this for a moment, as if deciding if she would go anyway. "Alright," the twelve-year-old said, "but promise me one thing?"

"What?"

"That you won't let Ethan get hurt."

"I promise to try my best." Did anyone else have a strange feeling of Deja vu?

* * *

"Are you Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades?"

"Uh . . . yeah. Can I . . . um . . . help you . . . ?"

"No, but you can help my friend. My name is Astoria Greengrass. And I kind of need a favor. You see, I sort of promised that you would do something for a friend of mine . . . . . "

* * *

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Nott for the umpteenth time.

Nico rolled his eyes. "You've asked me that like eighty times and my answer has still not changed. Yes, yes, and **still** yes! I've done this a bajillion times, so I think I would know what I am doing!"

"Well, I was just checking. You can never be too careful, you know," Nott said, sitting on top of a headstone with his arms folded. "Why does it have to e in a graveyard?" Nott whined.

Nico growled like a wild animal. He was fed up with this guy. Why wouldn't he just shut up already? It was like the boy was doing him any favors. He was the one doing something for him, and he STILL had the nerve to complain? But he forced himself to remain calm. "Because the presence of death is stronger here," he explained.

"I'm cold," he complained, "can we hurry up before I get hypothermia or something?"

"Dude, it's like sixty degrees outside!" he was starting get a feeling that Nott was just complaining at this point only for the sake of complaining! And he hated the boy's attitude. He acted so . . . _superior_. Well, might as well get this over with. He took out his McDonald's Happy Meal and placed it on the ground. "Let the dead taste again . . . "_ wow, I must sound like a complete idiot,_ thought Nico.

_Why am I doing this, again?_ Nott wondered.

"Okay," Nico said, "so what was your mother's name?"

Oh, yeah. That's why. Astoria had promised him that Death Boy would be able to let him talk to his mother. "E-Evangeline," he whispered, holding back tears. "Evangeline Bellus Nott."

* * *

**Review!**


	52. Chapter 52

_"What were you _thinking_ going out there? The Dark Lord's dead!"_

_The man laughed cruelly. "Some faith you have in him!"_

_The woman's face twisted, and her entire body shook with anger. Yet, somehow, she managed to keep it under control. She leaned in closer to her husband, and spoke to him in a hushed voice, so that no one would hear. She sounded nervous, but confident. "Look, all I'm saying is that I'm worried about you. You've been so obsessed over the Dark Lord ever since that Harry Potter boy destroyed his powers." Her husband opened his mouth, but before he could speak, she added, "which may or may not have killed him." That seemed to satisfy him. "And if the Ministry catches you again . . . ." her voice trailed off. They both knew what would happen if they were caught. The Ministry had become particularly malicious over the past few months, not only imprisoning suspected Death Eaters, but also their families._

_"Look, I'll be more careful from now on, happy?" the man said._

_"No, that's not enough!" she shouted, then lowering her voice once again, she whispered, "do you really think it's a good idea to raise the boy in this kind of environment? I mean, he and that Potter-boy will be in the same year - - "_

_"Then we'll make sure Lucius's son steers him in the right direction."_

_"Are you listening to yourself?" the woman demanded. "No one's steering my Theo in the 'right direction'. He can be friends with whoever he wants!"_

_"Oh, so you want him to become a soft-headed Gryffindor? I do not want my child running around with mudbloods!"_

_"I do not want my child running around with murderers!"_

_A small head peeked through the doorway._

_"What are you doing boy? It's past your bedtime!" his father cried._

_The child blinked, turning towards his mother._

_"Theo?" Evangeline said, "Come here." She sat down in an elegant arm chair, and little Theodore ran and jumped into her lap. His father scowled in disapproval. But she ignored him, and instead turned to her son. In a gentle voice, she said, "Honey, what's wrong?"_

_"I heard you two yelling," he said. "Mummy, do you hate Daddy?"_

_Appalled by the very question, both parents froze for a moment, then broke into forced laughter. Even the two-year-old knew that something was up._

_"No, we're just having a conversation."_

_"A very loud one," Theodore added._

_"Go back to sleep," his father said._

_The small boy cranked his head towards his mother, hoping that she'd change Dad's mind, but this time, Evangeline didn't protest. "Go back to bed, Dear. It's late."_

_Theodore left the room, but he did not go to bed. He pressed his ear against the door , listening to his parents' conversation._

_" . . . killing innocent people. Is that your idea of fun?"_

_"Are you telling me that you are siding with the mudbloods?"_

_"At least the mudbloods don't go around killing people for amusement!"_

_"Have you gone mad? The Dark Lord promised us success."_

_"And look at what happened, he was murdered by a one-year-old!"_

_"HE IS NOT DEAD!"_

_"Mad, that's what you are. Completely mad."_

_"I AM NOT MAD!"_

_"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"_

_"STOP TREATING ME LIKE CHILD!" _

_"WELL, I . . . "_

_Theodore couldn't take it anymore. His parents really did hate each other! Did that mean they didn't both love him? He started to sob quietly. An action that he was scolded by Father repeatedly for doing, but he couldn't help it. Mummies and Daddies should love each other, shouldn't they? Now the tears were streaming down his face like miniature waterfalls cascading down his cheeks. His sadness turned to anger. Why? Why did it have to be like this? Why could they just all get along?_

_He was so busy fuming, that little Theodore didn't notice his parents walk by. _

_"THEODORE!" his mother screamed. He froze. Mummy had never screamed at him before. Screaming was what Daddy was supposed to do. Maybe she really _did_ hate him! "WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING UP?"_

_He turned towards his mother and said something he had never said before. "I HATE you!" _

_Evangeline stepped back in alarm. Never had her son raised his voice at her. _

_But Nott wasn't done. He felt the anger in his little toddler boy explode like a violent volcano! He could almost see the lava pouring through the halls. Wait . . . that WAS lava!_

_Theodore's father pushed him out of the way. "EVANGELINE, LOOK OUT!" he cried, but it was too late. _

Now it this was normal lava, it would have killed them all. For normal lava does not run in a straight line, kill one person and stop, as Theodore would late find out, (he would also find out that there were no active volcanoes in England.) But the normal laws of nature do not apply in this case. For what had caused the molten rock river was not a volcano, but rather accidental magic.

Nott Manor had some reconstruction done, so there was no longer any evidence of a lava river down the middle of the drawing room.

But in the end it didn't matter. For no amount of reconstruction could replace the damage done to Theodore's heart. A memory that would haunt him forever. Evangeline Nott was dead, and deep down, no matter how much he tried to deny it, Theodore knew it was all his fault.

* * *

Although this Nott guy was really annoying Nico, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the kid. He had lost his mother at a young age as well, but this was different. Theodore actually_ remembered_ his mother. Nico had nothing. No memories. No pictures. No stories. He loved her anyway - - or at least that's what he believed. But it's hard to love someone you never knew. And it's hard to miss something you never had. He turned around so that Nott wouldn't see him cry, while oddly the other boy did the same thing. There was an awkward pause.

A crow swooped over, and Nott jumped back in alarm. Nico didn't particularly mind. He liked crows. He thought that they were funny birds, and sometimes offered surprisingly good company in graveyards. But the animal wasn't interested in either of the boys - - he just wanted the Happy Meal.

Nico cleared his throat. " . . . Yes, well, anyways. We really should continue. So, err . . . please rise, Evangeline Bellus Nott . . . " as Nico continued the ritual, he grew more and more nervous. Would Theodore's mother be like him? And how would the boy react to the woman he hadn't seen in years? How would she react to him? What if she was like Thalia's mother, and hated her child? But then why would he bother going through all of this? Just how much did he love his mother? Did he understand the risks? So many things could go wrong in this operation, now that he thought about it. Why was he doing this, again? He didn't even_ like_ the kid!

But deep down Nico knew the reason why. He wanted reassurance that a mother and son could still have a connection after being separated for years. So that if he ever met up with his mother . . . the thought was too painful. He should stop thinking about such stupid things. It would never happen. Besides, he knew the basic story, wasn't that enough? No. No, it wasn't. Seeing a woman in flashbacks wasn't the same as actually meeting her. Besides, he had just gotten on his father's good side, maybe he could . . . oh, why even bother? It was a hopeless situation, anyhow. At least he could make one motherless boy happy.

Slowly, a transparent body raised from the ground. The body of a woman. Although she shimmered in a silvery see-through way, there was no doubt that the woman was quite beautiful (or, at least, that's what he suspected, being only twelve, he didn't care much for girls) with god-like features. She had long flowing hair and large almond-shaped eyes. She was absolutely gorgeous. Nico's jaw dropped open. This lovely woman was Nott's mother?

Nott looked at the woman. His eyes were widened in pure awe. But he said one word, that ensured Nico that it had worked. "M-Mum?"

* * *

***Wipes tear* that was beautiful. I don't think I've ever written such a serious chapter. Please review!**


	53. Chapter 53

**Okay, sorry I was in a rush last time, so I'm going to catch up on answering my reviews. From now on, I'm going to try to answer everyone's reviews at the beginning of each new chapter. **

**Chapter 51 reviews: **

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar and glistening moon: Thank you, I thought the promise was interesting, too. In the series we know for a fact that Nott's mother was killed and that he can see thestrals, implying that he perhaps witnessed her death first hand. It's a horrible thing. My friend's mother died a couple years ago and she's never been the same since. **

**twitch'pjofan95: Thanks for reviewing. I think it was just that there was enough people fighting, and it was supposed to only be a minute. Although, it does seem a bit random. Good point. **

**darklilyofthevalley: I actually am planning on making a sequel. I have the basic plot planned out. I may actually save Ethan, but his fate is not set in stone yet. I will consider it, and if that happens, I will surely put it in the sequel. Thanks for the idea!**

**Blast: Hmm...you know, I've kind of wondered that myself. But it couldn't have been. Luke only met Hermes once, and by then he already knew who he was. I think unlike many other demigods, he kind of grew up in a home where he knew the gods existed. **

**Blast (did you review twice?): Yeah, that part was actually in the book. It was funny. **

**Chapter 52 reviews:**

**twitch'pjofan95 and ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Yeah, it was sad. **

**glistening moon: Don't worry, I'm not offended. In fact, I agree. I started this story in sixth grade, and now I'm finishing up seventh. Grant you, that's not much older, but apparently it made a big difference. **

**darklilyofthevalley: I agree. **

**sugarrush12: Thank you so much! I'm glade you like it. **

**Blast: Yeah, I felt like it needed a bit of humor in it. Because one of the messages in Percy Jackson and Harry Potter is that even when it seems sad, there's always something to laugh about. **

**Blast: It says that was what Nico assumed, because he really didn't get girls yet. Also he's twelve (or seventy-something, depending on how you look at it) so he's getting to that point. Also, are you reviewing twice on purpose, by accident, or are you just a different person who happens to have the same pen name? Just wondering.**

**Pjo Fableh GHeir Green rLym Boklv Sm (I tried to put down your full pen name as one word, but the computer wouldn't let me): Thank you!**

**Randomness1996: Yeah, sorry about that. I've been working harder on rereading my chapters before publishing them so they have less mistakes. **

* * *

"Theo?" the woman said in disbelief. "Theo, is that you? You've gotten so big!"

Despite the fact that war was ranging near by, Nico couldn't help but smile. It had worked. And they were happy. He felt so good. That is, until he saw Nott's face. Theodore had tears in his eyes. He refused to look directly at his mother. What was wrong with him? If that was Nico, he would've never wanted to stop looking at her.

It was his next words that explained his odd behavior. "It was me!" he blurted. "I killed you! I-I swear, it was an accident. I didn't know what I was doing, I was just so angry a-and . . ." his voice cracked. Theodore Nott, one of the most feared people at Hogwarts. The boy who even Malfoy respected. The boy who's father was a Death Eater, was crying. For once in his life, he did not hide his feelings. He did not seem to notice his mother or Nico standing there. He had been holding in the guilt for years. Nico couldn't help but feel horrible for the guy. No wonder he was always in a bad mood. He felt he had to say something.

"Nott?" he said in his most comforting voice, "it's okay." He tried to pat him on the back, but Theodore swiped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed, "you disgusting, little - - "

"THEO!" his mother scolded. "This boy is the reason I'm here now. Apologize this instant!"

Nott wanted to scream at her. He wanted to argue that she was wrong. Why should he apologize to him? Di Angelo wasn't even his friend. Heck, he didn't even **like** the boy! And yet . . . he didn't want to disappoint his mother. Using all of his will power, Theodore swallowed his pride and said, "I'm sorry."

Nico knew that must've taken a lot of effort. Clearly apologizing was not something he did very often. "It's alright," he said.

The other boy nodded and turned back to his mother. "This was all my fault!" he sobbed. "I'm a horrible son."

Evangeline tried to reach out and touch her son, but since she was a ghost, her misty hand passed right through him. "No, you're not," she said. "You were doing accidental magic."

"Yeah, but that wouldn't have happened if I could just freaking control myself!" he kicked a stone grave. Then, yelping in pain, grabbed his foot and hopped around. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Nico felt a little awkward standing there. Like he didn't belong. He cleared his throat. "Um . . . well . . ., so . . . er, yeah. I'm just gonna . . . feed the crows."

* * *

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Uh . . . three?" Draco guessed.

"Hmm . . . wrong again," the nurse made quick note of that. She then felt her hand to his forehead. "You seem a bit warm." The nurse was getting worried. The infection had already set in when the boy was taken in, and if he wasn't healed soon, she'd have a very angry Lucius Malfoy on her case.

But it didn't make any sense! The stab wounds were nearly completely healed, so how could this be? Something was very wrong. She had checked everything. Then he noticed something that she hadn't seen before. Maybe they should try that muggle DNA testing thing. She reached out for a sample, when she noticed something that she had not noticed before: it was a strange rash on the patient's arm. She hadn't seen it before because Malfoy had on long sleeves. The rash was a circle with a smaller circle inside, like a bulls eye.

Draco groaned. He hated this! He couldn't get out of bed except to go to the bathroom. He couldn't play quidditch, boss around his friends, or make the lives of his enemies miserable! It was horrible. Plus, he felt so helpless, so weak, so vulnerable. He couldn't do anything for himself. All because he'd been beaten up - - by a GIRL, no less! A stupid, mud-blood girl. It was humiliating! He sighed and reached for the goblet of pumpkin juice on the side table next to him. But when he tried to sit up, the room around him swirled, like he was inside a tornado. His head began to hurt, and he laid back down. _Stupid infection_! he thought.

There was a gentle knock at the door. "Mr. Malfoy, you have visitors."

He groaned. "Send them in."

Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyal, Marcus Flint, Millicent Bulstrod, and Daphne Greengrass (which confused Draco, because he didn't really know her that well) arrived.

Pansy rushed right to his side. "Are you okay, Draco? How can I help? Where does it hurt?"

Greengrass scowled and pushed her out of the way. "Where is she?" Daphne demanded.

"Who?"

She laughed coldly, and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Where. Is. Astoria."

He blinked, confused. "Who? Your sister?"

"Duh, my sister!"

He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. How would I know anyway?"

"You're the last person who saw her."

"Well, why do I care what happens to the little brat?"

Daphne's face burned red with anger. She then smacked Draco so hard across the face that even Crabbe and Goyal jumped back. "She tried to save you, you utter moron!"

Millcent tugged at her sleeve shyly, "uh, Daphne? I don't think that's such a good . . . "

"SHUT UP! What do you know anyway, Bulstrode?"

Millicent looked like she was about to cry, but she managed to look daphne right in the eye. "Daphne, we're going,** now**." She then grabbed the still-fuming girl by the hair and promptly dragged her out of the hospital, with Greengrass screaming as she did so.

There was a moment of silence. Crabbe and Goyal shuffled their feet awkwardly, while looking at the ground. Finally, Flint broke the quiet. He cleared his throat. "Um . . . we got a replacement seeker."

Draco was awe-struck. Replaced? _Him_? But he was the best player on the team! Not to mention that his father bought everyone new brooms. How could he do such a thing? And he decided to let him know, too. "How DARE you replace me! I'm the best thing that's ever - - "

"No, you don't understand," Marcus said, "we're just having Davis play for you until you get better. It's not permanent or anything. Don't worry."

"Oh." Well, now he sure felt stupid.

"Time's up," the doctor called.

"Alright, bye guys."

"Bye," said Flint.

Pansy gave him a quick hug and ran out.

"Feel better," said Goyal.

"Yeah," agreed Crabbe.

* * *

"Nurse?"

"Yes?"

"We got the results back your patient, Mr. Malfoy . . . and, well . . . it's not good."

* * *

**Uh-oh, what happened to Malfoy? Guess in your reviews! (Here's a hint: it's not from the stab wound)**

**Review!**


	54. Chapter 54

**Blast: Hmm...I did not know crows and ravens were messengers of Hades. That's really interesting. I picked crows because they hang around graveyards. Ravens do, too, but they prefer more rural areas with little human population, while crows can be found just about anywhere, including big cities, like New York. They both belong to the bird group Corvidae, which include Jays, Ravens, Crows, and Magpies just to name a few. The group itself is sometimes called the "crow family", so you are technically not incorrect. They group is known to be very intelligent and can figure out tricky problems. I like crows and ravens not only because they are they smart, but I think they have a sense of humor, but at the same time are very mysterious animals. Nico is also quite clever and mysterious, but also very funny. (Sorry for the lecture, big animal-geek here). Anyway, I still can't figure out what your riddle means, but it really made me think. Malfoy's fate will be revealed soon. **

**sugarrush12, Blast, and slice of cheese: Good guess**

**glistening moon: thank you!**

**darklilyofthevalley: I agree**

**twitch'pjofan95: It's fine**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: ...Maybe**

* * *

The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. The group stepped out of the elevator and onto the white marble walkway, and immediately cracks appeared at their feet. Percy, however, couldn't have cared less. He was too busy focusing on Luna's words. How was he supposed to ensure Ethan's safety?

"Jump!" Grover said, which was easy for him, since he was part mountain goat. He sprang to the next slab of stone while the rests' titled sickeningly.

"Gods, I hate heights!" Thalia yelled as she and Percy leaped.

But Annabeth was in no shape for jumping. She stumbled and yelled, "PERCY!"

He caught her hand as the pavement fell, crumbling to dust. For a second, he was sure she was going to pull them both over. Her feet dangled in the open air. Her hand started to slip until he was only holding her by a few fingers. Then Grover and Thalia came over and grabbed Percy's legs, and that gave him more strength. Annabeth was NOT going to fall.

He pulled her up and the two lay trembling on the pavement.

"Um, thanks," she muttered.

He tried to say, _don't mention it_, but it came out a, "Uh, duh."

* * *

"Hey, Nico?"

Nico looked up at Nott from the crows (and one grackle who must've been lost) feasting on the bread crumbs. "Yeah?" Nott's eyes were red and swollen, he could tell he had been crying a lot, but didn't want to push the matter. "You done already?"

He shrugged. "Yep."

"Alright, let's go back."

Theodore nodded. He looked around and grumbled. "I suppose you're going to tell everyone now, right?"

"Tell them what?" Nico asked, confused. "That you cried?" Nott nodded. "Why does that matter?"

"Don't play games with me, Di Angelo. I'm not stupid."

Part of Nico just wanted to make this all into a joke. He was getting ready to say, 'ooookaay' or something like that, but something made him change his mind. "I won't tell. Promise."

Of course he wouldn't want anyone to know he had cried. By his behavior it was no doubt he was extremely arrogant. If people knew he had feelings it would completely ruin his reputation. _A bit like Clarisse la Rue_, Nico mused. Of course he ever let her know that, she literally would skin him alive.

Nott looked at the boy suspiciously for what felt like hours. Finally, he spoke. But they were the last words Nico expected to come out of his mouth, "thank you."

* * *

Lucius Malfoy stormed up the steps to the doctor's office in St Mungo's. "Well?" he demanded. He was followed by a very nervous-looking Narcissa Malfoy.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Please take a seat," the nurse fidgeted nervously with her glasses. "I'm afraid we have some bad news . . . " she cleared her throat.

"Would you stop the drama and just tell me what this all about?" Lucius growled.

"Right, my apologies, Mr. Malfoy. Your son has a very severe condition. Because it is rare among wizards, we didn't suspect it at first. He is currently suffering the middle stages of Lyme Disease."

Lucius blinked. "Lime? Like the fruit?"

"No. That's with an "i". This is a serious illness. It's an infection that is spread by the deer tick."

"B-but he'll be okay, right?" Narcissa asked. There were tears in her eyes. She held her breath.

"Um...if treated quickly Lyme Disease is usually not a problem," Narcissa exhaled, "...however..." she inhaled again, "in young Draco's case anti-biotics won't do the job alone. He has had the sickness for nearly a month now. And it is a serious case. And while it's rare to die from Lyme Disease, it can cause heavy brain damage. The best thing to do for him is to keep him here for a couple more weeks, and have him undergo expensive therapy."

"Not an issue at all," Narcissa said, "I don't care how much it costs, as long as my son recovers."

"Well, there's one more thing you should know..." the nurse hesitated. "Not that it makes any difference, of course. But based on your background, we thought it would be better if you were aware of one more thing," they nodded for her to go on, so she did. "It's muggle therapy."

Lucius banged the table**. "Muggles**? What do you take us for? **Fools**? I would rather my son _die_ than treat him with _muggle_ medicine!"

"LUCIUS!" Narcissa shrieked. How could he say such a thing? Sure, she hated muggles, too. But she was not going to stand for her son dying just because muggles would be curing him. She ran after her husband. He would not like what she had to say. To be honest, she had always felt a bit skittish around Lucius. But all of her fear seemed to melt away when she thought of her baby dying because of her cowardly attitude. Suddenly, she didn't care what he would do. She knew one thing though for sure: she had to convince him before it was too late.

* * *

**Please review!**


	55. Chapter 55

**Sorry for the super long wait. It's the end of the year and my teachers are piling up as much homework as they possibly can on me.**

**darklilyofthevalley: Agreed. Draco's story will be sort of a subplot**

**2coolwriter: Thank you for reviewing. Starlings were indeed originally brought to the United States as pets a couple hundred years ago from Europe. All wild starling can be traced to 100 individuals released in Central Park in the late 1800s. They are, however not in the Crow family (don't worry, it's a common mistake, I actually had to look it up to check for sure). As for the second bird . . . do you mean grackles? They belong to the blackbird family, which I do believe may be distantly related to crows. Their scientific name is Quiscalus something ( depending on the species). Again, these are very common mistakes, I actually had to look it up to be sure, and I'm probably one of the biggest animal geeks the world has ever seen. **

**twitch'pjofan95: You'll see . . . **

**sugarrush12: Thank you for reviewing, and yes, you were right. **

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Thank you!**

**glistening moon: Thanks!**

**Blast: Yes, and sorry for the wait. **

**Rogue di WeReWoLf: Thank you! **

* * *

They ran through streets. Mansions were burning. Statues had been hacked down. Trees in parks were blasted to splinters. It looked like someone had attacked the city with a giant Weedwacker.

"Kronos's scythe," Percy whispered.

They followed the winding path toward the palace of the gods. Percy didn't remember the road being so long. Maybe Kronos was making time go slower, or maybe it was just dread slowing him down. The mountaintop was in ruins - - so many beautiful buildings and gardens gone.

A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half.

Somewhere ahead of them, Kronos's voice roared: "Brick by brick! That was my promise, tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!"

A white marble temple with a gold dome suddenly toppled over. Anyway, you get it: a lot of destruction.

"Look out!" Grover yelped. An archway crumbled. Percy looked up quick enough to see the twenty-ton scowling Hera topple over them. All of them would've been flattened, had it not been for Thalia, who pushed them out of the way.

"Thalia!"

When the dust cleared, they found Thalia alive, but with her legs pinned under the statue.

They tried desperately to pull it out, but she yelled out in pain.

"I survived all those battles," she growled, "and I get defeated by a stupid chunk of rock!"

"It's Hera," Annabeth said in outrage. "She's had it in for me all year. That statue would've killed me if you hadn't pushed it away."

Thalia grimaced. "Well don't just stand there! I'll be fine. Go!"

They didn't want to leave her, but they could hear Kronos laughing as he approached the hall of the gods. More buildings exploded.

"We'll be back," he promised.

"I'm not going anywhere," Thalia groaned.

A fireball erupted near the side of the mountain, right near the gates of the palace.

"We've got to run."

"I don't suppose you mean _away_," Grover asked hopefully.

Percy sprinted towards the palace. Annabeth quickly followed.

"I was afraid of that," said Grover.

* * *

Getting into the throne room was not an easy task. They had to climb over huge piles of ruble just to get inside.

"Finally!" Kronos bellowed. "The Olympian Council - - so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?"

Ethan Nakamura stood to one side trying to stay out of the way from his master's scythe. His gaze looked kind of distant, as if he were on a different planet. He was shaking from head to toe in fear. There was no doubt that he did not want to be doing this. The poor kid was so terrified that Percy almost felt bad for him. _Almost_.

He stepped forward. "Percy - - " he started.

"Oh, shut up," Percy shoved him out of the way.

"My lord - - " Ethan warned Kronos.

Kronos turned towards the trio. Except for the golden eyes, he looked exactly like he did four years ago when he had welcomed Percy into the Hermes cabin. Annabeth made a painful sound in the back of her throat as if someone had punched her. Percy could only imagine how she felt.

"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos asked. "Is that the choice you will make - - to fight me and instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know."

"Luke would fight with a sword," he said, sounding much braver than he felt. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."

Kronos sneered. His scythe began to change until he held Luke's old weapon, Backbiter.

Annabeth gasped like she'd suddenly had an idea. "Percy the blade!" she unsheathed her knife. "_The hero's soul, curse blade shall reap." _

Percy didn't understand why she was reminding him of the prophecy line right then. It wasn't exactly a morale booster, but before he could do anything, Kronos raised his sword.

"Wait!" Annabeth yelled.

* * *

When a hellhound is running towards you at full speed, most people would screamed and hide. But Luna Lovegood was not a 'normal person'. She looked down, refusing to meet the animal's eyes. But she did not get out of the animal's way.

"Luna, what are you doing?" Ron demanded.

"I'm trying something," she said.

The giant dog looked at her, confused as to why she wasn't running away.

"Shh," Luna whispered, taking a step towards the massive creature. She then did something that was surely suicide: she dropped her weapon.

Everyone who saw gasped. Surely she was crazy!

The giant dog stepped towards her, teeth barred in aggressive body language.

Luna held out her hand to the beast. Everyone was sure he was going to bite it off, but, oddly, he sniffed it.

"That's a good boy," she cooed, "do you want a treat?" she reached for her pocket.

"Brilliant!" whispered Ron, "she's going to pull out a sword."

"No, stupid," Astoria said, "her weapon's on the ground!"

Luna pulled out a cookie from her pocket. "Who wants a cookie?" she asked. The dog barked. Luna smiled. "I thought so," she threw the massive animal the snack and it leapt in mid air, catching it before hitting the ground. She giggled. The dog cocked its head, wondering why the enemy would feed him. "Do you want more?" asked Luna. They both knew the answer. She gave him another one.

"Well," said Nico, who had recently returned with Nott, "I suppose Mrs. O'Leary will have a new friend."

* * *

**What do you think? I know it was pretty short, I'll try to make the next one longer and I'll update sooner than last time. Ethan's fate will be revealed shortly. **

**As for a sequel, I'm 99 percent sure that I will be making one, but first I have to get through this. I wonder if fanfiction had a chapter limit . . . at this rate, I guess I might find out! Please review**


	56. Chapter 56

**2coolwriter: Okay, just checking**

**glistening moon: thank you. I did too **

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: thanks!**

**sugarrush12: he will probably be in the next chapter**

**darklilyofthevalley: you're probably right**

**twich'pjofan95: it was pretty cute, but it wasn't with Mrs. O'Leary. I don't know, maybe I was too subtle**

**Blast: Thank you for reviewing. I actually haven't played the game, sorry.**

* * *

Kronos backed Percy up against the throne of Hephaestus - - a huge mechanical La-Z-Boy type thing covered with bronze and silver gears. Kronos slashed, and he somehow managed to jump _onto_ the chair. The throne whirred and hummed with secret mechanisms. _Defense mode_, it warned, _defense mode._

"Well . . . that can't be . . . good . . . " Percy jumped away, straight over Kronos' head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity all over the place. One hit Kronos in the face, arching down his body and up his sword.

"Nakamura!" Kronos growled. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him and you will have rewards beyond measure."

Ethan was lost. A couple of days ago he would've killed him without hesitation. So why couldn't he do it now? It was that stupid girl's lecture. She had messed with his mind and twisted his thoughts. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing! Nothing at all! He was killing for a cause. And it was a good cause: his mother.

And yet, there was something that still irked him. Percy had saved his life when he was supposed to kill him last year. How was it balance to kill him back? _Not my fault,_ he told himself, _I _warned_ him not to do it._

Ethan's eyes dropped to Percy's midsection. He knew where his weak spot was. Maybe he didn't _have_ to kill him. He could just tell Kronos where it was. His master could kill him instead. His mother would still get a throne, and he technically wouldn't be a murderer. The logic was twisted, but it satisfied his conscious.

He met Percy's eyes. "Look around you, Ethan," he said. "This is the end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed - - the good with the bad? _Everything_?"

It was true, and Ethan knew it. But it was too late to do anything about it now. It was no longer about morality; it was about keeping yourself alive. In order to survive he had to destroy, there was no other way. he had to do this for his mother. "There was no throne for Nemesis," he muttered, "no throne to my mother."

"That's right!" Kronos tried to get up, but stumbled. "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer."

"You said your mom is the goddess of balance," Percy reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't _balance._ Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."

"Well other than you, who cares? Even if you** do** win, everything will go back to being the same. The gods will promise better treatment and then deny it later. The gods don't keep their promises, Percy. You're living proof. And no one will stand up to them. Everything is always just black and white to you guys. Not everything is good or bad. Sometimes destruction is the only way."

"Lots of people care! Luna cared. She wanted to come up and stop you herself."

"I don't care about what that idiot thinks! She's just a stupid little girl. What does she know?"

"If you do this, you're no better than they are!"

Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia - - a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but where he was now. His good eye blinked. He knew Percy was right. He and Luna both.

Then he charged . . . but not at Percy.

While Kronos was still on his knees, ethan brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.

Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled.

Ethan stared at Percy, his face tight with pain. "Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just had . . . thrones - - "

Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan Nakamura. The son of Nemesis fell through a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain - - straight into the open air.

* * *

"Is that . . . no . . . it can't be . . . ETHAN!" Luna cried.

The boy was falling through the sky at extreme speed.

She had to do something. It was really a hopeless situation, but she had to at least try to save him. Time was running out!

Luna whistled loudly. Mrs. O'Leary and the other hellhound (who she had decided to name Comitis,) looked at her. Luna pointed towards Ethan, and somehow, the dogs seemed to understand. They raced towards the spot unrealistically fast, and the boy fell on top of Comitis.

There was a sickening crack.

Mrs. O'Leary whimpered.

Luna, Anthony, Astoria, and few others ran towards him, daring to look at the gory sight.

Adrian Pucey promptly vomited at the scene. Who could blame him? Astoria didn't think she had ever seen so much blood before. Ethan's limbs were twisted in unnatural positions. There was a single piece of metal sticking out from his stomach, Luna pulled it out and blood spurted everywhere. Ethan did not move a muscle. Luna couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

One thing was for sure: no one could have possibly survived that fall.


	57. Chapter 57

**Sorry I couldn't update right away. I was editing some of my earlier chapters**

**glistening moon: Yeah, it's pretty sad**

**darklilyofthevalley: I know**

**twich'pjofan95: Dont worry about it, everybody makes mistakes**

**Chiyo Kaze: You'll see**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: He wasn't really her "boyfriend" per say, but it still is really sad **

**Blast: I haven't played either**

**Thank you everybody for reviewing! Be sure to do it again**

* * *

Nemesis glanced at her dying son. She had expected a bit more from him. Oh well; you win some, you lose some. The boy was foolish, anyhow. She was far better off without him.

Ethan Nakamura was alive, but barely. Every breath he took was quieter and shakier than the next.

Most people had left his side and assumed he was dead after a few minutes. Only Anthony Goldstein, a couple of Apollo children, Pheobe the huntress, and that stupid Lovegood girl remained. Fools. He would be dead soon, it was not worth it to try to save him. He was a hopeless case from the start.

Luna sat sobbing beside Ethan. Nemesis couldn't imagine why. The boy had not cared for her or even been kind over the short time they had known each other. _Love is an odd thing_, the goddess mused.

Ethan was always too proud and cocky, that was his problem. There was nothing that Nemesis despised more than someone who was too proud. That was why she always tried to avoid her relatives. They were almost always too blinded by their own arrogance to see what was important. It was sickening how immodest and unkind they were sometimes, that was the reason this whole war had started in the first place.

Kindness was one thing, but stupidity was another. That Luna girl fell into the second category. She was idiotic to think that Ethan would ever care for her. Yet she did whatever she could to help him. Stupid, stupid little child.

"What do **you** want?" Luna demanded.

It took Nemesis a couple of seconds to realize that she was speaking to her. Nemesis was astounded. She had appeared in human form, true, but she was covered in a layer of mist so thick that most Half-Bloods wouldn't be able to see her. Only those who were extremely aware could possibly recognize her.

"You're Nemesis, aren't you?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I am."

There was a pause. "Well . . . ?" asked Luna, "Aren't you going to do something?"

"Like what?" she didn't honestly expect her to heal the boy, did she?

There were tears in Luna's eyes. "He dedicated his entire life to you. And you're just leaving him to die?"

Nemesis shrugged. "I'm the goddess of balance. What do you want me to do?"

"H-he _trusted_ you! The least you can do is help him!" Luna was jumping up and down in frustration. "DO **SOMETHING**!"

"That is not my job," said Nemesis. "It was a pity he had to die, but it was for the better."

"HOW? HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE FOR THE BETTER?" there was something strange in Luna's eyes. Something that had never been there before: a cold-blooded glare of hatred. "You don't deserve a throne," she said quietly.

Nemesis laughed. Normally she didn't like to act arrogant, but this girl needed to learn respect. "Is that supposed to make me feel shameful? You're just a puny mortal, and I am a goddess! I could destroy you on the spot if I wished."

"But you won't," Luna said, "Because deep down, you know I'm right."

* * *

"Lucius, please, listen to me," Narcissa begged, "if we don't do something Draco will die!"

Lucius shrugged. "You heard the healer, he might not die."

His wife gasped in horror. "You're willing to take that chance? Don't you care about him at all?"

"Narcissa, dear, of _course_ I care about Draco. Who else will carry out the family name? But when it comes down to it, I would never, ever trade anything - - even my son's life, to work with muggles. I'll call every healer in the country - - in the world! I want nothing more than for Draco to be alive and well, but there must be some other way. Narcissa, I promise I will do whatever I can to help him. Now, if you know what's good for you, you will keep your mouth shut."

Narcissa opened her mouth to protest. She wanted to shout at her husband, to tell him he was wrong. Lucius was a fool to think he could do this. But, alas, there was nothing he could do. So she closed her mouth, and kept quiet just as he told her.

* * *

"We have to get him to the nearest hospital," Anthony said.

"We're kind of in the middle of a war here," Nico pointed out.

"I'll take him," Paul volunteered, dragging poor Ethan's body to the street. He stopped a taxi. "Bellevue Hospital, please," he said, "and step on it!"

Luna looked at Nico, "do you think he'll be okay?"

Nico looked away, not daring to meet the girl's eyes. "I think Ethan will be lucky if he gets to the hospital before he dies."


	58. Chapter 58

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Yes he does. **

**2coolwriter: I don't know if it can, I just made that up. But the way I see it, it isn't so much that it can't heal it, it's just since Malfoy's condition is so severe, he would need therapy afterwords, therapy that only muggles could provide. **

**sugarrush12: A couple of chapters ago, Kronos lifted the sleeping spell. It was a muggle/mortal who drove him - -now, that I think about it, it could've been a halfblood, too. You can choose.**

**twitch'pjofan95: Yes, Nemesis is a total hypocrite. Most of the gods are. As for the taxi drvier, look at my answer to sugarrush12. Oh, and happy late birthday!**

**darklilyofthevalley: Me either. **

**Paigie3000: Thank you**

**Blast: She is, and about the Nico/Astoria thing, that just means that they are the main characters in this story. I think.**

* * *

"Hmm . . . a fractured skull, broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, and several other broken bones . . . this does not look good," the Doctor Jones said, looking over his patient. He shook his head. "How did this happen, again?"

"Err . . . " Paul said, trying to think of lie. Time was running out for Ethan. Wait a minute . . . . did he even have to lie? "He fell off a building."

"Did he trip, was he pushed, or was it suicide?" the doctor asked.

"He was pushed."

"I see . . ." Dr. Jones took a note of that. "Which building?"

"The Empire State Building."

The doctor looked at Paul as if the man were insane. "The top floor?" he nodded. "That's impossible! Nobody could possibly survive a fall like that. The impact would for sure kill them."

"He landed on . . . a mattress," well, that wasn't too far from the truth.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Doctor Jones demanded.

"No, no. I'm sorry, sir. I don't exactly know what happened. I'm just guessing."

"Well then you are a _very_ poor guesser. I can assure you, Mr. Blowfish - -"

"It's Blofis," Paul said. Nobody ever could get his name right. It used to annoy him, but eventually he just grew accustomed to it. Telling people how to pronounce his name properly was basically a habit at this point.

The doctor nodded, clearly not enjoying the fact that he had been corrected. "Well, Mr. _Blofis,_" he said, careful to emphasize Paul's sirname just to annoy him. "The boy's injuries are very serious. I promise to do whatever I can, but there are no promises, especially in cases like this. Umm . . . please wait here a moment. We are going to do a computed tomography scan to see the extent of the damage. Hopefully it is not too late."

* * *

Cornelius Fudge paced back and fourth in his office. He was not in a good mood. Muggles - - a whole group of them, had discovered magic. In order to erase so many memories at once they would have to create one of the most power memory charms ever seen. It could take days, even weeks to finnish!

"So what are you going to do, sir?" asked Rita Skeeter.

"What?" the Minister had been lost in his thoughts. He had almost forgotten the reporter was there at all. "Sorry, Rita. Um... well, we'll have to create a powerful memory charm to make sure they all forget this. It could take a while, but I will not fail. I vow to do it if it is the last thing I ever do!" he said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Why will it take a while to make the charm?" she asked.

"Well, you see, Rita, this isn't a normal kind of charm. Since it is going to be so powerful it will have to be built up over several days, or even weeks to fully complete."

Skeeter's magic quick-quill jotted this all down. "How many muggles did you say know?"

"A little less than one hundred. Nothing the ministry can't handle."

* * *

It was all over. Luke was dead. Olympus was saved.

Hermes unwrapped Luke's face and kissed him on the forehead. He whispered some words in Ancient Greek - - a final blessing.

"Farewell," he whispered. Then he nodded and allowed the Fates to take away his son's body.

Both prophecies had come true. The wizards and demigods had worked together, and they were able to take down the Titains. As for the one who had died, that was Luke.

Next to Percy, Annabeth's knees buckled. He caught her, but she cried out in pain. He realized that he must have grabbed her broken arm.

"Oh gods," he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she said, as she passed out in his arms.

"She needs help!"

"I've got this." Apollo stepped forward. His fiery armor was so bright it was hard to look at, and his matching Ray-Bans and perfect smile made him look like a male model for battle gear. "God of medicine, at your service."

He passed his arm over Annabeth's face. Instantly, her cuts and bruises vanished. Her arms straightened, and she sighed in her sleep.

Apollo grinned. "She'll be fine in a few minutes. Just enough time to compose a poem bout our victory: 'Apollo and his friends save Olympus'. Good, eh?"

"Thank, Apollo," he said, "I'll...um, let you handle the poetry."

The next few hours were a blur for Percy. Remembering the request from his mother, Zeus didn't even blink when he told him his strange request. He snapped his fingers and informed Percy that the entire top of the Empire State Building was now lit up blue. Most mortals would just have to wonder what meant, but his mother and Paul would know: Olympus was safe and he had survived.

The gods set about reforming the throne room, which which went surprisingly fast with twelve super powerful beings at work. Percy was relieved to see that most of the wizards were fairly unscathed. It was, as Ron Weasley had put it, "Bloody awesome!" Mrs. O'Leary, along with new friend, had been able to dig Chiron out from the ruble. Katie Gardner had reported seeing Rachel Elizabeth Dare run out of the building. She had looked unharmed, but nobody knew where she had gone. He was also informed that although Ethan had somehow miraculously survived the fall, for now, he might add, he was badly injured with many broken bones and severe brain trauma.

Nico di Angelo came into Olympus to a hero's welcome, his father right behind him, despite the fact that he was only supposed to visit Olympus on winter solstice. The god of the dead looked stunned when his relatives clapped him on the back. Percy doubted he had ever received such an enthusiastic welcome before.

Clarisse marched in, still shivering with mild Hypothermia from the ice block she had been trapped in. Ares bellowed, "that's my girl!" The god ruffled her hair and pounded her on the back, calling her the best warrior he'd ever seen. "That drakon-slaying? THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

She looked pretty overwhelmed. All she could do was nod and blink, like she was afraid that he was going to hit her, but eventually, she began to smile.

Percy had no doubt that the wizards were most likely having a celebration of their own back on the ground.

* * *

Astoria glared at Ron.

"What?" Weasley demanded.

"I think _somebody_ owes me an apology," she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Okay, okay, fine. You aren't too bad, for a Slytherin."

Suddenly, a large Tawny Owl flew into view.

Astoria looked confused. "Ace?"

Ace, the owl, dropped a newspaper in her arms. Astoria took one look and gasped. "Oh no! I've got to get out of here!" she looked around quickly for an escape. She whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded over to her at full speed. "I need to get to England, and fast! Can you do that, girl?" The dog barked and wagged her tail. "Good girl!" Astoria climbed on top of the massive canine. "Let me know if me win!"

"Where are you going?" Zabini demanded.

"I have a little appointment with the Minister of Magic."

* * *

**Uh oh, what's going to happen next? **

**Find out soon! In the meantime, please review.**


	59. Chapter 59

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Thank you. You're questions will be answered soon enough**

**Sugarrush12: You are the first of many to ask that question. **

**Daughter of Poseidon21121998: Yes, he is. **

**darklilyofthevalley: He was very lucky, indeed. Of course, no one in real life would ever be able to survive a fall such as that, but apparently, hellhound fur is really soft, I decided.**

**AKAAkira: Thank you so much. As for the part with Hermione, I've been trying to find that chapter so that I can correct it. If you could tell me which one it is that would be great. :)**

**Blast: I don't know, I could be wrong.**

* * *

What do you mean you have an appointment with the minister?" Ron demanded.

But she was already gone.

"Great," Blaise muttered, "now how are _we_ going to get back?"

* * *

**A meeting, a big stick, and a prophecy later . . . **

Annabeth returned with news. "Okay," she said, "we booked you guys a flight to London."

"Great!" said Hermione.

"But," Annabeth interrupted, "it's in Chicago."

"What?"

Mrs. O'Leary had returned a couple minutes later, and was so tired that she plopped down on the spot. So shadow traveling was out of the question. Chiron had been trying to get the wizards a flight back to England for over three hours. Unfortunately, La Guardia was not an international airport, and only had flights to other parts in the country. Newark and John F Kennedy International Airport were both sold out, and they needed to get home as soon as possible.

Chiron had pulled a few strings, and somehow convinced La Guardia to take in twenty six children on short notice on a flight to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The majority of them had never even been on an airplane.

"This should be interesting."

* * *

"Thanks, girl," Astoria said, getting off of Mrs. O'Leary. "You can go home now."

She looked around, making sure that no muggles saw her. Whitehall was packed with muggles. Astoria rolled her eyes. Why couldn't the ministry be in a place that wasn't so dense with muggle population. Why couldn't it be in an all wizard community, like Godric's Hollow or Hogsmeade?

Astoria was not new to the area. She had been there several times before, since her father worked at the ministry. This was her first time going alone. She hoped she remembered how to do this. Astoria stepped inside of the phone booth, as it lead her down underground.

She appeared in the main lobby and stepped into the lift. Her knees were trembling with fear. She had to be very careful not to get into trouble. Slytherins had a bad reputation, after all. Why was she doing this again? Astoria's eyes moved to the headline of her copy of The Daily Prophet in her hand. Oh yeah, that. According to the article, Cornelius Fudge was planning on creating a large memory charm in order to erase the minds of the half-bloods in New York. If that happened the gods might even decide to launch war on the wizard world. They had just stopped a war, Astoria didn't want there to be another one!

She looked at the names of the levels. There was the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures; the Department of International Magical Cooperation; the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes; the Department of Magical Games and Sports (what was the difference?); the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; the Department of Magical Transportation (they seemed to like the word "magical"); the Department of Mysteries (what the heck . . . ?); and the Magical Maintenance Department.

Today there was supposed to be a big meeting on the third floor with Cornelius Fudge and the wizard council about the problem in New York. Astoria knew this was her chance. She could do this. She could make a difference.

She went up in the lift to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. There was a secretary sitting with her feet on her desk reading_ Wizard's Weekly_.

"Excuse me," Astoria said.

The lady looked embarrassed and quickly took her feet off the desk. "How can I help you?" she asked.

"I need to get into the meeting," Astoria said bluntly.

The woman laughed. "What meeting?"

"The meeting with Cornelius Fudge. I need to get in there," she paused, then said, "I don't think you're supposed to be reading on the job. Wouldn't it sabotage the ministry's good name and reputation if their secretary wasn't behaving properly? I don't care if you tell me where the meeting is, I will find it myself if I have to. But, you know, if you do refuse to help me, I can always mention your behavior to Fudge. I'm sure he would not be happy with you."

The words shouldn't have scared her. She should have laughed it off. But there was something about the way the little girl said it that sent chills down her spine. "I-It's down th-the hall, t-to the l-l-left," she said, "the d-door's locked, but here's the k-key."

Astoria smiled sweetly. "Thank you!" she said, and skipped off happily with the key in her hands.

* * *

"Attention. If you find any unattended luggage or see suspicious behavior, please report to the front desk," the announcer said.

"Where is that voice coming from?" demanded Ron, looking around.

"The announcer says it through the speakers," Hermione explained. She rolled her eyes as Ron continued to stare up at the ceiling in amazement. "Come on! We don't have time, we're going to miss our flight!"

* * *

"Are there any objections?" asked Fudge. Obviously, this statement was meant t be rhetorical. After all, who would possibly want to object to such a brilliant plan? But sure enough, one quiet, yet strong voice said something that surprised everyone:

"I object!"

"Who said that?" Fudge demanded.

Once again, to everyone's complete astonishment, a little girl stood up and made her way to the front of the room to confront the minister. The girl's long auburn hair was in two neat French braids, and her large, green eyes glistened like precious emeralds. "I did, sir."

* * *

**Bum bum bum . . .**


	60. Chapter 60

**2coolwriter: Find out!**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Thank you so much. Some of these question will be answered in the following chapter. And as for Nico, who doesn't like him?**

**AKAAkira: Well, spunk is different than bravery. I see Astoria as being more impulsive and acting based off of gut feelings than being brave. However, she does have several Gryffindor qualities, but overall, she is shown to be more cunning and manipulative than loyal and brave.**

**twitch'pjofa95: That's fine. And yes, like I said to AKAAkira, she does possess some Gryffindor qualities as well as Slytherin ones. But I think in the long run, she is a Slytherin at heart. **

**sugarrush12: Yep!**

**Do Not End Harry Potter.o.O.o: Yeah, me too.**

**Blast: That's great!**

**darklilyofthevalley: I bet he didn't!**

* * *

Fudge smiled. "Hello, little girl. Are you lost?"

Astoria scowled. She was eleven! Why did everyone always treat her like a baby? In a forced calm voice, she answered him in the most grown up voice she could muster, "No, sir. I am not lost. I am here to protest against the decision you have made."

The Minister laughed. "And what decision exactly are you against?" he asked, playing along.

Astoria could tell that he would not take what she was saying at all seriously. Better cut to the chase. "You can't erase the memories of all the demigods in New York!"

Now Cornelius was starting to get angry. Did this child dare question his authority? "Do your parents know you are here?"

She ignored his question and went on with her speech, since the answer was quite obvious. "There people saved your lives! And this," she made a dramatic jester to the crowd, "THIS is how you repay them?"

Fudge grabbed her hand and held it up. "Whose little girl is this?"

Astoria snatched her hand away, "I am nobody's 'little girl'!" she shouted indignantly. Tears began to sting her eyes. Why wouldn't he listen to her? Didn't he know what they had done? If Kronos had taken over they would even BE here! Was he really that thick? She seethed, filled with anger. "Don't erase the minds of innocent people!" she cried.

One woman, who looked oddly like a toad, said, "Well, look at that! A Slytherin caring about the lives of muggles!" she sneered.

The crowd began to shout at her, saying some thing that the author of this story cannot repeat. Astoria grew more and more angry by the second. It was almost like pressure building up inside of a volcano just before it -

BOOM!

The wall behind Cornelius Fudge violently exploded, just missing him. Everyone's eyes were on Astoria.

"You assaulted the Minister!" the toad lady screamed. "Take her to Azkaban!"

* * *

"We're going to FALL!" Ron screamed. He grabbed Hermione and shook her. "We're going to DIE!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Calm down," she said slowly. "This is perfectly safe, and we are NOT going to die. These muggles know what they're doing."

Zabini snorted. "They better."

Ron shook with fear. This was HORRIFYING! How did muggles do it? He was sure any minute now they were going to fall and get killed. How could Hermione be so sure they wouldn't? The whole idea of a giant metal contraption floating in the air with people in it for thousands of miles seemed pretty suspicious to him.

He swerved his head to glance at the row behind him. The Slytherin, while trying not to show it, were clearly nervous as well. Ron smirked. At least he wasn't the only one who was worried.

He looked across the aisle. Ginny, Hannah, and Anthony were sitting together. Hannah and Anthony were in the middle of a heated debate, and Ginny had actually fallen asleep. Ron was amazed. How could she have fallen asleep?

Was he the only one with common sense?

* * *

Draco Malfoy stared up at the ceiling. Merlin, he was so BORED! Stupid Lyme Disease! He hated this Every time he tried to sit up the world would swirl around him. He spent more and more time each day sleeping. Every bone in his body ached. Draco didn't want to admit it, but he was scared.

Pansy visited him every day. She would sit beside his bed for hours. Sometimes they would talk, but more often than not, Malfoy would be too tired to utter a word. Draco was not quite sure if he should be grateful or annoyed by her company.

His mother would come to see him often as well. She would stroke his hair and tell him over and over again that everything would be okay. He only wished that he could believe her.

The doctor knocked on the door. "Mr. Malfoy? Ms. Parkinson is here to see you."

Draco grunted, too tired to speak.

Pansy stepped in. She smiled at Malfoy. "Hey, Draco," she said, "How are you feeling?"

Malfoy snorted in response, meaning something like, "Well, how do you think I'm feeling?"

Pansy laughed, although it looked rather half-hearted. "Alright, sorry I asked." She sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Hey, I've got something for you," said Pansy.

Draco forced a smile, although at the moment, all he really wanted to do was go back to sleep.

"Look at this!" she exclaimed, pulling out a large poster board. "It's signed by Victor Krum!" she squealed happily, her voice shaking with excitement and anticipation. "You wouldn't _believe_ what I had to go through to get this! Hope it helps."

Malfoy smiled. He had once mentioned that Krum was his favorite living quidditch player. But oddly enough, the picture only made him feel worse. He missed quidditch. He missed the feeling of the wind in his face, as he rode his fabulous Nimbus 2001. Still, he managed to wheeze, "Thanks, Pansy." He wondered if he would ever be able to play quidditch again.

Why was he so tired? He had just taken a nap! Yet, his eyelids felt as heavy as marble.

"Draco? Draco, are you okay?"

He hardly heard her words as he desperately fought the overwhelming urge to sleep. Malfoy tried to speak, but his mouth refused to form the words, it was just too much effort. _What's happening?_ Draco wondered. _Am I . . . dying?_ Suddenly, he became very, very frightened. No! No, he couldn't be dying. He was only thirteen. There was so much he still wanted to do!

Black spots danced in front of his eyes. _I must stay awake_, he thought. _I must stay awake. Must stay awake . . . must stay awake. . . must stay . . . ._

* * *

**YAY! Sixty chapters! Awesome! **


	61. Chapter 61

**darklilyofthevalley: I know, I do too.**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Don't worry, more Nico will be coming up soon!**

**MOONLIGHT-97: He's not dead yet!**

**Blast: Cool!**

**sugarrush12: Thank you!**

**Wow, I can't believe the last Harry Potter movie is coming out tonight! *Sobs* IT'S THE END OF MY CHILDHOOD! WAAAH! **

**Anyway, please enjoy the following chapter, while I run to get a tissue.**

* * *

"Azkaban?" Astoria squeaked. Surely she couldn't have heard that correctly! She was only eleven! What could she have possibly done? She glanced around the crowd desperately, hoping that somebody would come to their senses and help her out. A couple people shot her glances of pity, but said nothing.

There was only one thing left that she could do: she had to make a run for it. Astoria quickly sprinted through the crowd of wizards and witches. Being small, she was able to squeeze between people and make sharp turns in order to avoid being captured. She nearly made it to the door. Unfortunately, two large security guards were standing there, waiting for her. They each grabbed one of her arms and lifted her off of the ground as if she weighed nothing. "Wait!" she cried, "What did I even do?"

"You assaulted the Minister!" one of the guards growled.

Astoria was indignant. "How could that have possibly been me? I never even _touched_ the wall!"

The toad lady laughed, as if she was an amusing little puppy. "Dear, of course we have proof!" she said in an overly-sweet voice. She spoke to Astoria extremely slowly, as if he was an idiot. "Since you are under age, you still have the trace on you. Meaning, that every time you use magic outside of school, we are alerted that you have done so."

"B-but it was an accident!" she protested, now on the verge of tears.

"Ha!" she snorted, "if you murder someone by accident, it is still a crime, is it not?"

"Well, yes, but he's just fine!" she said, jerking her head in the direction of Cornelius Fudge, who had escaped with no more than a bruise and a small cut. "This isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair, princess!" snarled the lady.

"Don't I at least get a trial?" Astoria was pleading now. She was completely at the mercy of this woman.

"Of course you do," she answered again in the sickly sweet voice. "But first you need a lawyer."

"I'm a kid! How on Earth do you expect me to get a lawyer?"

The woman smiled. "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?"

* * *

"Even I have to hand it to them," Pucey said in amazement as he stepped off of the airplane, "These muggles think of everything!"

Flint shrugged. "It was alright, I suppose," he said, not wanting to admit that he really was impressed.

They stepped into the gate and stared in awe. O'Hare was much bigger than La Guardia. People were rushing to and from gates in massive numbers, all trying to make their flights. Nobody even gave so much as a second glance at the large group of kids all by themselves.

"Alright, everybody," Hermione instructed, "we all have to stay close together so that we don't get lost."

"Who put **you** in charge, you filthy mudblood?" Terence sneered.

"I'm sorry, Higgs," Hermione said sarcastically, "have you ever been to an airport before today?"

"Well, no. But - "

"I didn't think so! So now, if there are no more questions . . . "

Ron raised his hand. "I have to use the loo."

She sighed. "Does anybody else need to relieve themselves?" Everybody else raised their hands. "Fine. I'll lead the girls, Justin, you take the boys. Got it?" Justin nodded. "Merlin," Hermione groaned, "I feel like my mother."

* * *

"AZKABAN!" Daphne shrieked. "No, no this can not be happening!" It was dinner time at Hogwarts, and news had been sent that the students who had left Hogwarts would be returning shortly. Everyone was excited, especially Daphne Greengrass, who couldn't wait for her little sister to return - - that was until her owl dropped the newspaper in her lap. It seemed odd. Mail rarely came at suppertime. But as soon as she saw it she knew why. The thirteen-year-old skimmed the Daily Prophet Headline once again. This was just too horrible to believe.

"Why did they take her?" asked Bulstrode.

"It says here that she assaulted the Minister." Daphne banged her head on the table. "That **can't** be right!" she looked as if she were about to cry. "Astoria is way smarter than that. If she assaulted the Minister she would have had a good reason for it."

Tracey Davis looked at her friend thoughtfully. "Well, your dad works at the Ministry, doesn't he? Maybe he could pull some strings and - -" she asked.

"Oh, I forgot! Mum and Dad will be furious!" now she really was crying. Daphne looked down, so that nobody would see the series of tears streaming down her face. She knew that she had to do something. Poor Astoria wouldn't last a day in prison. Daphne recalled several years ago her uncle being sent to Azkaban for six months. He was never the same afterwords. Azkaban did things to people. Scary things. She could only imagine the horror that her baby sister was feeling now. She knew that had to get over there, if it was the last thing she ever did.

Daphne put down her fork, suddenly losing interest in her shepherd's pie. "I'm . . . I'm not hungry anymore," she whispered.

* * *

**Cool, another quick update! I'm also writing another PJO/HP crossover, it's called "Dead End" if any of you are interested. **

**Please review!**


	62. Chapter 62

**darklilyofthevalley: Because she's Umbridge. **

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Actually, Nico isn't in this chapter. But he WILL be in the next chapter. **

**sugarrush12: I don't know, I felt like it could have been better. It was good, but not great. I liked it, though. McGonagall had the best line!**

**Blast: I'll be honest: I have no idea what you are talking about.**

**princess3170: Thanks.**

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was lead down a long, dark corridor. The atmosphere was gloomy, as she listened to the cries of tortured souls in the distance. Daphne screamed, as a large black rat scampered beneath her feet. _Grown men have been driven mad in these conditions,_ Daphne thought. She wondered how long it would be before her sister suffered the same horrible fate.

"Ah, 'ere we are," said the guard in a heavy cockney accent. He pulled out a rusty, old key and unlocked a small slit in the large metal door. He knocked. "Ms. Greengrass, someone's 'ere ta see ya."

A pair of large green eyes peered out. There was something different about them. The most obvious being that one one of them was black, like someone had punched her. They were dry and blood-shot, with large circles underneath, a sign of extreme fatigue. But there was more to it than just that. It seemed as if the life in them had been completely drained out. Where was the happy little eleven-year-old those eyes used to belong to?

"Astoria?" Daphne's voice cracked.

Astoria coughed. "D-Daphne?" she said, eyes wide. Her pupils scanned back and fourth. "Are Mum and Dad here, too?"

"Uh . . . " how could she break the news? Her parents had been so angry, that they refused to see their daughter in prison. "They were . . . busy."

"Oh." Astoria's face fell. "Well, tell them I said hi."

"I will."

Astoria coughed again. It sounded like she was really sick. It was cold and damp in the in the cell. No wonder her sister was congested. "Listen to me," Astoria said. Her voice was hoarse and raspy, like an old woman's. "The Ministry is creating a charm that can manipulate the minds of many. The Greek gods will not stand for anyone messing with their children, except for themselves. If the Ministry succeeds, the gods may launch war on us, and all hell will break loose."

"How do you know this?" Daphne demanded, hoping she was wrong.

"Just trust me. I know the gods. They will not hesitate to attack us," she paused, then added painfully, "you have to stop them."

Daphne was taken aback. "Me? But how on Earth can I be any help?"

Astoria had tears in her eyes. "I really don't know. G-get Percy, he'll know what to do."

"Percy? Percy Weasley?" Daphne wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"What? No, gross! I mean Percy Jackson!"

"Well, where does he live?"

"New York, in the states. Somewhere in Manhattan, I think." Daphne opened her mouth to protest, but Astoria interrupted her. "You can get there by floo powder. It only works at the castle in Dumbledore's office. Don't ask me how I know this. The password to the office is 'chocolate frogs', but he changes it often, although it always is some kind of candy. Go around seven o'clock at night, that's his hot chocolate break. And the password to the fireplace is 'purple wombat'."

"Got it. Dumbledore. Seven o'clock. Chocolate frogs. Purple wombat."

"Excellent," she said, but only a fool could not see the fear in her eyes. "D-Daphne?" she asked.

"Yes?"

" . . . Is it . . . is it okay to be afraid?"

Daphne looked at Astoria. Her little sister was trusting her with the fate of the world as they knew it. Daphne wasn't so sure she was up to that. She was the older sister, _she_ was supposed to look out for her. Look at how well that turned out! Her sister was rotting away in prison. If she couldn't take care of one little girl, how could she possibly be trusted with the lives of millions?

It seemed like such a Gryffindor thing to do. But, no, her sister was no Gryffindor. Astoria was sly, cunning, determined, and manipulative, all of the traits prized by Salazar himself. Daphne had seen her sister do things, _scary_ things, to get what she wanted. Yet, she plunged herself into a war to save a bunch of muggles. Those were Gryffindor qualities, right?

She wondered if when Astoria said she was scared if she meant of Azkaban, or that Daphne would fail.

" . . . Yes," said Daphne, "it's okay to be afraid."

" . . . It's so cold in here," Astoria whispered. Daphne wasn't sure if she was talking to her or to herself. "The food is terrible, and they suck all of the happiness out of you. A-and it's so d-dark . . . " Astoria coughed so loudly that it echoed. "I don't want to die like this."

"You won't," said Daphne, "'cause we're going to get you out of here. I promise."

Astoria smiled slightly.

"Time's up!" the warrant growled.

"Good-bye, Astoria . . ."

"Bye, Daphne . . . "

* * *

After defeating Kronos, Percy Jackson was looking forward to just kicking back at home with his mom and Paul for the remainder of the summer. School was starting up soon, and he wanted to have a little resting time before his Junior year at Goode. It was ironic that after all he had been through, Percy was still a bit nervous about school. But for now, he didn't want to think about it. Besides, Rachel was probably feeling ten times worse. Thinking of Rachel made him feel guilty. She had agreed to go to some fancy boarding school in New Hampshire for proper young ladies. But was a few days of peace and quiet too much to ask for? Apparently, it was.

"Percy? Percy, someone's here to see you," Paul Blofis called.

Percy woke up with a start. He looked at the clock. His Dyslexic, half-asleep mind, took about thirty seconds to make out the digital numbers. The time was 8:49 am. Percy groaned. It was Saturday! Nobody ever woke up before noon on Saturday, it was a fact of life.

Paul called his name again, and Percy forced himself to sit up. "I'll be down in a minute!" he called. He yawned and sleepily walked over to his closet. He put on a random T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Percy quickly brushed his teeth and ran downstairs.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Nico will be in the following chapter.**


	63. Chapter 63

**sugarrush12: Well, here you go!**

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Daphne's in Slytherin, just like her sister.**

**Blast: Hmm...maybe I will sometime.**

**darklilyofthevalley: Yeah, I like that scene too. **

**PurpleRose328: Too lazy to log in? Yeah, I have those days sometimes. Anyway, about your guess, you are correct!**

**AKAAkira: Good questions. I'll do my best to answer them. Alright, it's not so much that the wizards can't cure Lyme Disease, but the later effects involve muggle therapy and other technology to cure. Also, Malfoy has a pretty bad case. If you notice, many pureblood extremists, like the Malfoys, are so worried about being "pure", that they will even intermarry with cousins to make sure that they don't have a muggle taint. Therefore, due to a shallow gene pool, Draco's immune system may not work as well as it is supposed to. As for the summer/school year issue, I imagine Percy's birthday to be somewhere around June. The Hogwarts school year goes longer than most, ending in mid-June. At the begging of the story, when Nico, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover get onto the train, it is taking the students back from Easter holidays (we know some of them take it off, from DH, where Narcissa mentions that he son is home for Easter) so it is already towards the end of the year By the time the students returned, school had just ended, they were returning to _London_, not to _Hogwarts_ (although I think that's my fault for not being clear enough.) And by now, it says that Percy is starting school again soon, because chapter 62 takes place several weeks after chapter 61. Daphne had to pull many strings in order to be able to visit her sister in Azkaban. Anyway, I hope that answers your questions. The timeline may be a bit off, but please just bear with it. Sorry for this super long reply. **

**miller123456789: 1) Because she cannot get herself a lawyer. 2) I imagine that the Nott's are more feared than the Greengrass's, considering Theodore's (that was his name) father is a Death Eater. Plus, Theodore was only a toddler when this happened, while Astoria was old enough to be able to take responsibility for her actions. 3) We don't know. **

**punkster1204: Thank you!**

* * *

A young girl around Nico's age, sat in the Jackson's kitchen. Her hair color was hard to make out because she was covered from head to toe in soot. But Percy was pretty sure it was blonde. Her eyes were large, round eyes were a shade of brilliant green, which reminded Percy of someone. There were two clean streaks down her cheeks, no doubt from crying.

Sally Jackson tried her best to clean the girl up, which proved to be difficult, considering she was only using baby wipes.

"Percy Jackson?" the girl asked. She fixed her eyes on him with a stare so intense, Percy was sure that it wasn't human.

_Monster!_ He reached inside his back pocket. He pulled out his magical pen/sword, Riptide. Percy uncapped the pen, and drove the blade straight through the girl. Literally, it went straight through her, as if she wasn't even there.

The girl (understandably) screamed.

"Oookaay, not a monster then." But, hey! After all he had been through, Percy felt that he had the right to be **a little** paranoid. "Sorry, 'bout that," he said, forcing an uncomfortable laugh.

She continued to stare at him for several more moments, before finally building up the courage to speak again. "I'm Daphne Greengrass."

_That's why the green eyes seemed so familiar!_ "You're sisters with Astoria Greengrass?"

Daphne was about to respond, when a boy, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared on top of the Jackson's kitchen table.

"Nico?" Sally Jackson breathed, helping the boy down.

"Whoa," said Paul, "as completely awesome as that was, could you please next time use the doorbell?"

"Sorry," Nico said, "I'm still working on exact spots. I was aiming for a about a foot to the left." Now that he was down, Percy noticed something white on his shoulder.

Mrs. Jackson did, too. "Um . . . Nico dear? You know that you have a mouse on your shoulder, right?"

Nico laughed, picking up the little white rodent. "This? This isn't a mouse! This is a rat!" he said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Mrs. Jackson's face went pale. "Oh, _lovely_."

Paul grinned. "Cool! Can I hold him?" Nico nodded, handing him the animal. "You know I used to have pet rats growing up."

"You did?" Percy and Sally demanded. Wow, that guy was full of surprises.

"Yep," Paul stratched the rat's little head as if he were a dog. It squeaked appreciatively at him. "Where did you get him?" he asked, after handing the rat back to Nico.

"Rachel. Her parents wouldn't let her keep him, so she gave him to me. She couldn't just let him go because he's a domestic rat. I mean, have you seen some of the rats in the city? He would be dead in second. Rachel said that she didn't know anyone who would be able to give him a better home."

Percy couldn't argue with that. He couldn't imagine one either. Nico's life was full of dark, creepy places and all of the fast food one could eat. Basically, it was a rodent's paradise.

"Wow."

Percy turned around to see Daphne Greengrass standing behind him. He had momentarily forgotten about her. "Oh, yeah," Percy said, a bit awkwardly, "Nico this is Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's older sister. Daphne, this is my friend Nico."

Daphne nodded politely at the strange boy, although she still appeared to be mildly in shock. Then, remembering her manners, Daphne stuck out her hand, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "How do you do?"

"How do I do what?" asked Nico. Seeing her confused expression, he began to laugh. "I'm just kidding. It's nice to meet you Daph - - ooh, food!" he said, taking a sudden notice to the plate of blue chocolate chip cookies on the counter. He looked up at Mrs. Jackson. " Can I . . . ?"

"Please," she said, smiling. Sally turned to Daphne. "Would you like one, too?"

Daphne stared at the cookies. She had never accepted food from a muggle before - - or anything for that matter. for all she knew, they could have been poisoned! But Nico didn't seem to care, he and his rat were chomping away. Soon Percy and Paul decided to join in. They also ate without so much as a second glance.

"You better hurry," Sally said, "or they will be all gone. I'll give them two minutes."

The muggle lady seemed nice enough, and Astoria appeared to trust her. "What's in them?" asked Daphne hesitantly.

"They're just normal chocolate chip cookies with blue food coloring," she handed Daphne one.

The Slytherin girl eyed the object suspiciously. Then, ever so slowly, she brought the cookie to her lips, taking a small nibble. The taste was wonderful. Daphne grinned. "This is amazing!" she cried happily.

Mrs. Jackson beamed.

Daphne glanced around the kitchen. There were many strange objects inside that Daphne could not recognize. But it wasn't what was there that irked her, but rather what wasn't. Something was missing. Then it hit her! "Where are your house elves?" she asked.

"Our what?"

"Your house elves," Daphne repeated. "You know, to do all of the cooking and cleaning."

Percy tried to imagine little elves running around and doing the house work, like in some Disney movie. He, Paul, and Nico exchanged looks and hen burst out laughing. Even Sally hid a smile.

Daphne looked at them in confusion. She had asked them a perfectly reasonable question, and now they were all giggling like a bunch of first-year girls! She felt like she had missed something. "What is so funny?" Daphne asked.

Sally was the first to stop. She had actually been laughing so hard that she had begun to tear up. She wiped her face with a napkin. "Nothing, nothing,"she said. "Hmm. . . you know. I could one of those."

Paul grinned. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Where can you get them?"

Daphne thought hard. Come to think of it, where did house elves come from? The ones she had had alway been just . . . _there_. "I don't really know," she said, not realizing that they were only joking, "I think they're just passed down form generation to generation. We've had ours as long a I can remember." She met by blank stares from all of them. Why were these muggles so hard to speak to? They said one thing, then meat another. Astoria had always been better at speaking to muggles. If she was here . . . Daphne's eyes widened, suddenly remembering why she had come in the first place. "Never mind, that," she said. "I almost forgot the reason I even came here."

"Yeah, why did you come here?" asked Percy.

"It's Astoria. She's in big trouble."

* * *

**Wow, sorry I took so long. I'm working on my other crossover at the same time. Anyway, please review!**


	64. Chapter 64

**ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Don't worry, he will be.**

**darklilyofthevalley: You mean Azkaban? **

**sugarrush12: Yes, I like Daphne a lot in this chapter.**

**Blast: I scanned the articles and saw some of the things on Youtube, I didn't have time to see them all. I see where you get the idea. I kind of like the whole idea of a Tails/NICOLE pairing. I say go for it. Good luck.**

* * *

"Astoria?" Percy repeated, his voice full of concern. "Why? What's wrong with her?" he asked nervously.

Daphne looked down at the ground. She willed herself not to cry. "She's . . .she's in Azkaban."

"Azka-what?" Nico asked, his mouth full of chewed up chocolate chip cookies.

Daphne frowned. "Azkaban. I mean, surely you've heard of - - no, wait. You're muggles, of course you don't know," she silently cursed at her own stupidity. "It's the worst wizard prison in the world!"

"Prison?" Percy's eyes widened. Paul's jaw dropped. Nico nearly choked on his cookie. And Sally looked as if she might faint. "As in jail?" Daphne nodded gravely. "Why? What did she do?"

Now Daphne was angry. "Nothing! She didn't do a bloody thing! It was a mistake, all of it! They claimed that she assaulted the Minister of Magic - - which is a lie!"

"Wait," Paul interrupted. "There's a Minister of Magic? Cool!"

Sally Jackson shot him a look that clearly said, _not helping_. She looked at Daphne sympathetically. "So they threw her in jail without even a trial or anything?" Daphne nodded glumly. "They can't do that! Did you explain to them that it was all just a misunderstanding?"

"I did, but they wouldn't listen!"

Nico raised his hand as if he were in school. Daphne called on him. "Okay, so why exactly isn't she getting a trial?" he asked.

Daphne said, "Because the Ministry is full of a bunch of bloody idiots who refuse to hold a court case for a kid unless they can get their own lawyer! And . . . I didn't know who else to come to," she looked at them. "You have to help me. Please." Daphne gave up whatever small shred of dignity that she had left and burst into a series of hysterical sobs.

For a moment, nobody said anything. The Jackson's decided to give her a couple seconds to calm down, so they all ate their cookies in an awkward silence.

Daphne did eventually come to her senses. Embarrassed, she quickly tried to wipe away her tears on her shirt sleeve.

Percy cleared his throat. "Daphne, don't get me wrong. I'm really, really sorry to hear about Astoria," he said sincerely. "But I don't know if there's anything that we can do to help. Unless you have an actual plan to get her out . . ."

"Wait!" Daphne cried. "There's more. You're my only hope. There is a reason why she went after the Minister. He is planning to create some sort of complex charm to erase the memories of all the Half-Bloods in New York!"

Nico snorted. "You might have mentioned that."

Percy fixed his eyes on Daphne with a much more concerned expression. This was serious. Dead serious. "They're doing what?"

"Astoria said that if that happens, the gods will launch war on the wizards." She looked at them fearfully. "That's not true, is it?" she seemed to want them to tell her that it wasn't.

Nico nodded. "It sounds like something they would do," he said gravely. "When you say 'erase memories', do you mean all of our memories, or just our memories of magic people?"

Daphne hesitated. She wasn't good with these kind of questions. "I'm not one hundred percent sure. It depends on how strong the spell is. But either way, it's going to be trouble. Besides," she added with a sly glint in her eye, "You guys owe her one."

* * *

It was breakfast time at the Burrow. The first couple of minutes proved to be rather uneventful. Mr. Weasley was going on about some muggle device called a "gameboy", while Molly was scolding the twins for attempting to turn Ginny's hair green ("we wanted a change," they had said.)

A large Barn Owl, that Ron did not recognize, swooped through the window, carrying an envelope in its talons. Ron pried the bird's claws open and grabbed the letter, opening it up. It was written on a rather thin piece of parchment, and it had odd lines on it. The note was written in neat, cursive letters that Ron instantly recognized to be Hermione's handwriting, likely a response from his last letter.

_Like the owl? She's not mine, she belongs to Lavender. Her name is Cookie, and I'm watching her while the Browns' are on vacation. Anyway, sorry I couldn't use parchment, Crookshanks tore up most of mine and I'm using whatever is left to get a head start on next year's homework assignments (speaking of which, shouldn't you be doing the same?) So I just used regular old muggle paper. Be careful, it rips more easily that parchment._

_As for your other letter, I looked it up, (although, quite frankly, I'm not sure why you couldn't do it yourself, Ronald.) As I suspected, it is most certainly illegal to place an eleven-year-old child in Azkaban, let alone without a fair trial. I think that Umbridge should be the one arrested, don't you? She is completely abusing her power! I informed Harry about this as well, he agrees with me._

_You know, the paper never actually said why she attacked Fudge. I suspect there's more to this than what meets the eye. Do you have any idea?_

_Please reply. Your friend,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. Fun fact: Did you know that Barn Owls are categorized separately from other owls? They, along with the Sooty Owl, Bay Owl, Masked Owl, and Grass Owl belong to a family called Tytonidae, or "barn owls", while all other owls belong to the family Strigidae, or "true owls". This is due to their unique dark eyes and heart-shaped faces. I just thought that was interesting._

Ron smiled. "Oh, that's so sweet. She thinks I actually _care_."

* * *

**I don't know why I put that owl fact there. I guess Hermione might just want to sneak in some learning in her letter. Anyway, sorry this chapter is bit shorter than most, I was having trouble finding a good stopping place. **

**You know the drill, please review.**


	65. Chapter 65

**That's right, I'm alive! Now here is one of the story's last chapters. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

_Astoria sat on the cold stone floor of her cell. She hadn't heard from Daphne in weeks. And things had only been getting worse and worse for her._

_I suppose this is what you get for trying to be the good guy, Astoria thought bitterly, flicking a small stone._

_A small draft blew in, and Astoria shivered rather vigorously. She guessed that she was probably somewhere between the mild and moderate stages of hypothermia. The guards didn't seem to care. They didn't do so much as bring her some extra blankets. She had been spending more and more time sleeping each day. The energy was draining out of her quickly._

_Being in prison gave her lots of time for thinking. More time than she wanted, Astoria decided. She had driven herself mad with thought ranging from the meaning of life, to words that rhyme with "purple". And with each following day, Astoria's mind sunk deeper and deeper into insanity._

_There were days when she would scream and cry, pounding on the walls, begging to be let out. Other days she would just sit in the corner with her head tucked into her knees. At times it even seemed that suicide might be the best option, although Astoria could never quite bring herself to do it._

_"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll die tomorrow," she muttered darkly._ - -

"This story suddenly got depressing," said Leo.

Rachel frowned. "I'm sorry, could you write a better one?"

Leo Valdez said nothing. He simply scowled at the redhead, refusing to admit defeat.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Come on, Leo. Lay off it. I want to know what happens!"

Rachel smiled. "At least **someone** appreciates my work." The son of Hephaestus said nothing, he just continued to scowl.

"I like it, too," Piper said. "It's very creative. How did you get the idea?"

"I . . . I'm not really sure," she admitted, looking confused. "It was late last night, and all of a sudden I got this . . . this image in my head of this wizard school in England. Then the idea just built up."

"Was it a vision?" Annabeth asked, who happened to be walking by.

"No. No, I don't think so. It was different than that. Almost like it already happened."

"It did already happen. And by the way, you got Percy's birthday wrong."

Rachel blushed. "It wasn't meant to be an exact - - never mind. And no, I was referring to the wizards. I think they're older now. It's like something was blocking the vision and it got messed up."

"So you decided to get up at two in the morning, and write a story about our defeat of the Titans with wizards added in?" she demanded incredulously.

"Yeah, pretty much." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I just felt like it was important. Like these wizards would be able to help us somehow. We may have beaten Kronos, but what about Gaea? Maybe they can help us fight her."

Annabeth looked doubtful. "I don't know, Rachel. You're putting a lot on the line. Do you really think it would be worth traveling to England just to get ahold of a couple of wizards - - who may or may not exist - - just because they _might_ be able to help us? Besides, we have enough to deal with at the moment. You know, like finding Percy, sailing to Greece, locating the Roman camp, fighting monsters that keep reforming, finding Percy. . ."

"You said 'finding Percy' twice."

"I know what I said!"

"We _do_ need all the help we can get at the moment," Jason pointed out, although he, too, seemed skeptical.

"Anyway, it was a good story, even if it can't help us," Piper said.

Rachel said, "Yeah. It was, wasn't it? Do you know who would have really liked it? Nico. He was like the main character. Speaking of him, do we know where he is?"

* * *

Nico Di Angelo looked at his sister incredulously. "Are you sure about this?" he asked for the millionth time.

Biance rolled her eyes. "Yes!" she said, exasperated. "I've already told you. I know what I saw."

Her brother nodded. He didn't doubt her. "Where did you say they were from again?"

"England."

* * *

Thirteen-year-old Teddy Lupin stood outside of Olivander's Wand Shop. He checked his watch. It was eleven fifteen. What was taking her so long? He sighed dramatically, and pushed a strain of turquoise hair out of his face. Teddy, being a Metamorphmagus, could change his appearance any time at his will (provided that he had a certain amount of concentration,) but he liked turquoise the best.

Annoyed, he began to pace back and fourth impatiently. She should be done by now. _What is taking her so long?_ he thought angrily, not realizing that his hair had just turned a shade of fiery red. He was beginning to seriously consider going inside of the shop himself to see what the holdup was all about, when he heard a voice shout.

"Teddy!"

Victoire Weasley came running over to him, beaming brightly. He silverly-blond hair shinned in the sunlight, and her large blue eyes seemed to sparkle with intensity.

"What took you so long?" the older boy asked.

"I'm sorry, _Mum_. It was just that, none of the wands worked for me, and he suspected that it might be because he didn't have the right materials. I was beginning to panic, but luckily, he had recently received a special wand made from Veela hair, the same as my mother's. So here it is, Purpleheart, ten centimeters, Veela hair, mildly springy," she said this all in what appeared to be one breath. Teddy could never figure out how girls managed to talk so quickly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance, because before he could say anything, the two saw something very unusual. A young boy, around Teddy's age, seemed to just drop out of the shadows. There was no other way of describing it. It looked a bit like apparating, but there was no loud POP sound.

The boy appeared slightly dazed, he stumbled a bit as he walked, nearly falling over.

Victoire immediately ran to his side. "Are you okay?" she asked in a voice that was partly concerned and partly curious. "What happened? I've never seen anything like that before! Did you just apparate? Why was it so quiet? Is it a new type or something? Still, you seem too young. You look tired, are you sure you're alright?"

The boy shook his head a couple of times, then he looked around, taking in his surroundings. The look on his face was one of pure awe and amazement. "Oh my gods," he breathed quietly, not realizing that the girl had heard.

"_Gods_? As in _plural_?" she then noticed something that had gone unseen before. Victoire shrieked, and several concerned adults made their way over to them. The little girl took a couple of seconds to calm down. Finally, she said quietly, "you're splinched!"

Teddy looked, and sure enough, there was a large, nasty-looking bloody gash down the boy's arm. "He needs a doctor," Teddy declared.

But the boy wanted none of it. "No!" he cried, yanking his arm away from Victoire. "I'm fine!"

"You are not fine," he insisted, "you need help."

Victoire looked at the boy's leg as well. "He's hurt here, too!" she wailed.

Hearing the comotion, a couple of curious adults decided to check it out. Among the group were Victoire's family.

"Vat eez going on?" Fleur demanded. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd and gasped. "Victoire, get avay from heem!"

Dominique, Victoire's nine-year-old sister, stepped forward. She looked at the boy covered in blood. "Cool!" she declaired.

"No, eet eez _not_ 'cool'! Victoire, come 'ere now!"

Bill caught up to his wife. He was carrying their youngest child, Louis. After having their kids, the two made a deal: Fleur could choose the names if Bill could pick the school.

"Dominique, get back 'ere!" Mrs. Weasley shreiked as the little girl stepped closer to the boy.

Seemingly deaf to her mother's call, Dominique Weasley reached out to touch the boy's injuries. And in a split second everything changed. Darkness seemed to swallow the boy whole, engulfing him like a dark, black sea. And once the shadow had cleared, the wizards made a terrible discovery: Teddy, Victoire, and Dominique were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**Whoa, bet you didn't see THAT coming! **

**Alas, out thrilling tale has come to a near end. There will be an epilogue shortly. **

**Let me know what you think, and please review!**


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